KY — LEXINGTON Coach Nick Mingione was trying to find a way to lighten the mood as the Kentucky Wildcats moved into the latter phases of their preparation for the heritage and skill of the Oregon State baseball team.
In a clubhouse scene that sounded both hilarious and inspirational, Mingione quoted the former WWE superstar to juniors Patrick Herrera and Jackson Nove, urging them to “live it out with some emotion” before the Wildcats’ final practice before the Lexington Super Regional.
Mitchell Daly, a shortstop, thought it was really cool.
First baseman Ryan Nicholson concurred, saying, “It was fun.”
The point was this: The Wildcats intend to “go on the attack and knock the door down,” despite the fact that they are playing a perennial college baseball power with three national titles under their belt. Mingione wouldn’t divulge the details of the quote to reporters, presumably due to its unfit-for-work nature.
“Hey, some of you will be nervous, and that’s okay,” Mingione remarked. “Being afraid is not the same as just being nervous. We won’t be afraid. We won’t play afraid, no matter how serious the games are or how great our opponent is. That is not what we do. We took care to draw.
“I said, ‘Hey, some of you will have some nerves and that’s OK,’” Mingione said. “There’s a difference between having nerves and being scared. We will not be scared. With all due respect to our opponent and the enormity of the games, we’re not going to play scared. We don’t do that. We made sure that we drew a line in the sand today before practice started.”
The Beavers are playing in their ninth super regional and chasing their eighth trip to Omaha. The Wildcats are hosting a super regional for the first time and chasing their first College World Series berth. The Beavers are one of the last teams standing in the soon-to-be-dead Pac-12 Conference and feature a roster loaded with multi-year players who have been developed in the program. The Wildcats fought through the rich and mighty Southeastern Conference — which landed a record 11 teams in the 64-team NCAA baseball tournament — featuring a roster littered with transfers.
“It was fun,” first baseman Ryan Nicholson added.
Mingione wouldn’t share the specifics of the quote with reporters, presumably because of its not-safe-for-work nature, but the point was this: Even though the Wildcats are playing a perennial college baseball power with three national championships on its resume, they plan to “go on the attack and knock the door down.”
“I said, ‘Hey, some of you will have some nerves and that’s OK,’” Mingione said. “There’s a difference between having nerves and being scared. We will not be scared. With all due respect to our opponent and the enormity of the games, we’re not going to play scared. We don’t do that. We made sure that we drew a line in the sand today before practice started.”
