Thursday, Feb. 9, 2023
sports
Continued from page 14
According to A Sea of Blue, Mingione earns $400,000 a year with an additional $175,000 coming from guaranteed media and endorsements. Were the team to fire him without cause, UK would owe him anywhere from 50100% of his salary, with the timeframe between July 2021 and June 2022 ensuring he would earn 75% of his salary over the next two years. All that being said, it’s possible not all is lost with the Kentucky baseball program, but whether or not that’s the case relies entirely on one thing: the Cats making it to the NCAA Tournament this season. If the team makes the postseason, then it is possible things will work out — after all, some coaches need time to succeed — but if things don’t, that’ll mark just another year since 2017 that the Cats haven’t gone dancing. In the case that he doesn’t make it, there is little room to do anything other than move on and find another coach to take over the program. While the pairing started off appearing to be a match made in heaven, Mingione may simply not be the guy for this program anymore, and if he isn’t, Kentucky has to be careful not to just maintain the status quo out of an appreciation for off-the-field activities. Kentucky baseball is set to kickoff its 2023 season on Friday, Feb. 18, in Elon, North Carolina, as it faces off against the Elon Phoenix in a three-game series. Mingione is set to lead the Wildcats in the series.
Kentucky track and field’s Keaton Daniel soars to new heights By Cole Parke sports@kykernel.com
Keaton Daniel made his way into the headlines this past season of track and field when he managed to break a school record, that he himself had set, on the pole vault during the the McCravy Memorial meet in January 2023. Then, just within that same month, Daniel did it again, re-breaking the record in the Razorback Invitational in Arkansas. While the accomplishments placed him in the spotlight, Daniel emphasized that breaking records is not what motivates him to continue to improve, rather, he just wants to improve himself every day. “I try not to think about the records,” Daniel said. “I’ve been trying to shift my mindset and improve myself. Whenever you get caught up in the competition or what they’re jumping, that’s something you can’t control. Something I can control is aspiring to be the best athlete I can be. If you’re constantly doing it for the gratification of wins you’re going to (burn) out because during off-season training (the wins) aren’t there. I think rather than loving winning, learning to love
what you’re doing is key.” That mentality plays into Daniel’s motto that he takes with him into competitions: “control the controllables.” “You wake up and it’s, ‘What can I control today? What can I not?’” he said. “Those things that you can control, do to your 100%. Knowing that you’re putting your full effort and not half-assing things. If I’m going to do something I’m going to do it to my full extent and I think that’s a big part of pushing my-
self to be the best. It’s not about getting first or second or nationals, it’s ultimately about where I am trying to go with this and what type of person I’m trying to be.” Daniel expressed an appreciation for the culture surrounding track and field, saying that the athletes he encounters at meets aren’t necessarily trying to defeat their opponents, they’re just trying to be the best versions of themselves. “It’s probably one of the
best things about track,” he said. “(I was talking to) one of my friends — he’s from Arkansas — and I’m actually coaching him because his coach is busy. He went and jumped a PR (personal record) which is cool, I’m not going to take credit for it, but it’s cool seeing your friends succeed. It’s not like, ‘Ah, I knocked you down so you didn’t jump well and I beat you,’ no, we both jumped well and whoever came out on top, you went to the top.” See DANIEL on page 16
MAIGAN WILLIAMS | UK ATHLETICS Kentucky Wildcats senior Keaton Daniel sets a school record in the mens pole vault during the Razorback Invitational track and field meet on Friday, Jan. 27, 2023, in Fayetteville, Arkansas.
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