Kentucky Baseball, ranked as a preseason top 25 team, has found itself firmly on the NCAA Tournament bubble.
Going into the final week of the regular season, the Bat Cats were scheduled to play a single mid-week game against Northern Kentucky on Tuesday and a home weekend series against the Arkansas Razorbacks. On Monday afternoon, they announced that the contest against Northern Kentucky would be canceled, putting their NCAA Tournament hopes on the weekend series.
Per a statement from the program:
“Our team faced multiple extended delays over the weekend, extensive travel days, and challenging rest and recovery periods. We play a critically important conference series beginning Thursday that demands putting our student-athletes in the best position possible.”
The decision to cancel the game has not come without criticism. While they claim the game was canceled due to travel and lack of recovery, some believe the game was canceled in order to avoid a negative hit to their RPI and other metrics.
Whatever the case may be, multiple bubble teams have recently opted to cancel midweek contests against low-major opposition, and the Division I Baseball Oversight Committee has taken notice.
Committee chair Michael Alford released a memo stating that the selection committee would take into account canceled games for reasons other than inclement weather. “It is not the intent or spirit of the game to adjust scheduled games in an attempt to strategically impact selection date or metrics,” the memo read.
“During the subcommittee’s subjective evaluation of teams, games canceled to avoid the impact on mathematical metrics will be discussed and could have a negative impact on the subcommittee’s evaluation of a team.”
