GREENSBORO, Nc. (ABC 36 NEWS NOW) – The collegiate baseball regular season begins this weekend, and No. 18 Kentucky will open play on the road with a three-game series against UNC Greensboro in Greensboro, North Carolina. Right-hander Jackson Jelkin will start on opening day after an impr essive winter as he continues his return from Tommy John surgery. Jelkin anchors a pitching staff that returns significant experience from last season. The Wildcats bring back 17 players from last year’s roster, including a staff with multiple starting options. The depth on the mound is expected to be a strength early in the season. Coach Nick Mingione also strengthened the roster with a top-10 transfer portal class that adds more than 1,700 career collegiate at-bats to the lineup. Preseason All-American shortstop Tyler Bell headlines the returning group. While Bell enters the season with national attention, he said his primary focus remains on team success rather than individual honors. “I know I’m my best whenever I have my focus on the team,” Bell said. “The strength of our team is our team. I think that this is our year to win the national championship, we have all the pieces that we need.” The cats open up their season on Friday at 4 p.m. against UNC Greensboro. Categories: Solid Blue, Sports ...read more read less