Kentucky set for College World Series showdown with unfamiliar SEC foe

Simply making it to Omaha for the College World Series was a historic feat for the Kentucky Wildcats. Nick Mingione's team made program history as the first Wildcats baseball team to ever punch its tickets out of super regionals in the NCAA Men's Division I Baseball Tournament to the College World Series. That's a terrific feat in itself.

But it's clear that Kentucky, the No. 2 national seed in the tournament, has much bigger hopes than that for their postseason.

On Saturday afternoon, the Wildcats made good on their first CWS appearance in program history with their first win in Omaha as well. It wasn't without drama, to be sure. In the matchup against No. 10 seed NC State, Kentucky needed a ninth-inning home run Ryan Nicholson to force extra innings. Then, in the 10th frame, it was Mitch Daly who played the role of hero with a walk-off bomb to secure the 5-4 win.

Now it's all about what's next for the Wildcats have up next. And in an unfamiliar scene for the team and program, it's a shockingly unfamiliar opponent on deck next.

Kentucky set for all-SEC matchup vs. Texas A&M at College World Series

Kentucky's next opponent will be the No. 3 seed in the tournament and an SEC foe, the Texas A&M Aggies. But while the two teams might be coming from the same conference, they are shockingly not accustomed to playing one another.

Even in the conference schedule, Kentucky and Texas A&M did not play one another in the 2024 season. They last met in the 2023 campaign, with the Aggies notching a 2-1 series victory, albeit at their home ballpark in College Station. Overall, though, these two teams have only played 21 times in program history. A&M holds a 13-8 advantage historically but the Wildcats are aiming to get one back in that program-long series.

Texas A&M advanced to this point with a thrilling win of their own, needing a phenomenal late defensive play at the warning track to outlast yet another SEC team, the Florida Gators. But now that sets up a huge College World Series matchup between the No. 2 and 3 seeds in the tournament.

The Kentucky vs. Texas A&M matchup in Omaha will be played on Monday, June 17 with the Aggies currently installed as slight favorites in the contest. First pitch will be at 7 p.m. ET with the game being broadcast on ESPN and ESPN+.