No. 23 Kentucky Dominates Evansville in Record-Breaking 24-3 Home Opener

LEXINGTON, Ky. (ABC 36 NEWS NOW) – Kentucky’s 2025 home opener at Kentucky Proud Park will go down in the history books.

The Wildcats (5-1) set a new milestone, scoring the sixth-most runs in program history, the most in 11 years, and the highest total in the park’s seven-year history, securing a 24-3 victory over Evansville on Tuesday night in front of 2,880 fans. The Wildcats’ 24 runs were their most since scoring 26 against Ball State in March 2014 and the highest under head coach Nick Mingione.

The cats wasted no time getting started, racking up seven runs on six hits in the first inning, including Dylan Koontz’s first home run in a Wildcat uniform. The offense continued to roll, adding nine more runs in the sixth inning, which sealed the run-rule victory.

Freshman right-handed pitcher Nate Harris earned his first collegiate win in his debut, allowing just two runs over 4.0 innings. Senior outfielder Cole Hage homered and doubled, while senior catcher Devin Burkes had an impressive 4-for-5 performance, contributing five runs, four RBIs, three doubles, and a stolen base.