With Mizzou baseball’s season officially in the books — for all the wrong reasons — I figured it was the perfect time to look back at the worst conference records in each SEC team’s history. Just a little something to lift everyone’s spirits.
Disclaimer: Due to rule changes over the years and teams shifting conferences, not all have played a full 30-game SEC schedule. These records reflect each team’s worst conference finish in a season with at least 24 games.
Kentucky: 6-24 (2002)
Heading into his 24th season as head coach, Keith Madison’s 2002 Kentucky Wildcats were in the middle of a rough patch, coming off back-to-back losing seasons. The Wildcats finished last in the SEC East and ranked 139th in RPI at the end of the year. They struggled on both sides of the ball, ending the season with a run differential of minus-99. In the midst of this down era for Kentucky baseball, the program missed the SEC Tournament for five consecutive seasons, eventually leading to Madison’s dismissal after 25 years. He was replaced by John Cohen, who lasted only five seasons as head coach.
At the plate, Kentucky was led by outfielders Seth Morris and Caleb Stewart and infielder Robert Newton — the only three players to appear in more than 50 games. Of the trio, Stewart was the only one to hit above .270, finishing at .305, though most of his hits were singles, with just 11 extra-base hits. Beyond them, 13 different players appeared in at least 10 games, but only three finished the season with an OPS over .800. The team’s best hitter was sophomore infielder Spencer Graeter, who batted .317 and led the Wildcats with 15 doubles. As a team, Kentucky finished the season with an SEC-worst .251 batting average and a .333 on-base percentage.
The Wildcats didn’t fare much better on the mound, finishing the season with a team ERA of 5.92 and ranking last in the SEC in both hits allowed per nine innings (11.28) and home runs allowed per nine (1.07). The staff was led by junior starter Joe Blanton, who was drafted that year and went on to have a 13-year MLB career, including a 2008 World Series title with the Phillies. Behind him, the only other pitcher to make more than 10 starts was Scott Wade, who posted a 6.75 ERA. Six other pitchers made starts during the season, but only one finished with an ERA below 5.00.
In the bullpen, Kentucky leaned heavily on two relievers who each had solid seasons and were the only pitchers to make at least 20 appearances. Beyond them, just one other pitcher made 10 appearances without at least five of them being starts.