Regional Championship Lineup: West Virginia starts ace again, Kentucky makes some surprise moves

All hands are on deck for Kentucky baseball in a win-or-go-home game against West Virginia in the Morgantown regional final. Sunday turned into a bullpen game in the first inning was over. Nick Mingione isn’t waiting for that to happen on Monday. The Cats are playing matchups.

A big surprise has arrived. Left-handed pitcher Jackson Soucie will make his third appearance of regional weekend. It will come in a soft start situation.

Soucie recorded a three-out save in a one-run game on Friday against Wake Forest at Kendrick Family Ballpark. Kentucky went to him again in the ninth inning with the bases loaded on Sunday. The final result was a four-pitch walk. Mingione is calling his number again.

The South Carolina transfer started five games for the Gamecock in 2025 when he posted a 3-1 record, 5.40 ERA, 1.37 WHIP, and 32 strikeouts across 30 innings. Kentucky is betting on that experience in the biggest start of the season.

This was not the only change on the card. Tyler Cerny (.176/.340/.297, 6 XBH, 98 plate appearances) is back in the starting lineup for the first time since the South Carolina series at the end of April. The Indiana transfer grinded out a two strike count against Wake Forest that kept an at-bat alive for Jayce Tharnish to steal third base and take home on a wild pitch to score the winning run. The veteran with over 200 career hits and 31 home runs will get a chance to make a splash in the postseason.

West Virginia is pulling off a rare feat. Ace Maxx Yehl has recovered from the shoulder injury that was part of the reason he was pulled in the first inning on Saturday. Kentucky will see WVU’s best arm for the second time this postseason.

The Lineup Card

Kentucky

1. Jayce Tharnish (CF)
2. Tyler Bell (SS)
3. Luke Lawrence (DH)
4. Hudson Brown (1B)
5. Ethan Hindle (2B)
6. Braxton Van Cleave (RF)
7. Tyler Cerny (3B)
8. Carson Hansen (LF)
9. Owen Jenkins (C)

Pitcher: Jackson Soucie (3.57 ERA, 1.53 WHIP, 17.2 IP, 15 K)

West Virginia

1. Armani Guzman (1B)
2. Gavin Kelly (C)
3. Paul Schoenfield (CF)
4. Sean Smith (DH)
5. Matthew Graveline (LF)
6. Matt Ineich (SS)
7. Brodie Kesser (2B)
8. Ben Lumsden (LF)
9. Tyrus Hall (3B)

Pitcher: Maxx Lehl (2.14 ERA, 1.09 WHIP, 80 IP, 95 K)

How To Watch: No. 1 West Virginia vs. No. 3 Kentucky

Kentucky and West Virginia are playing for a championship. It’s time to rumble.

• First Pitch: 6 p.m. ET
• TV: ESPN2 (Tom Hart, Jensen Lewis)
• Radio: UK Sports Network (Darren Headrick)
• AM: 630 WLAP
• Online: iHeart Radio

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