Last week, Kentucky baseball coach Nick Mingione rattled off a list of the players he and his staff had to replace after the 2018 season.

"We lost our two starting catchers, our first baseman, our second baseman, shortstop, our third baseman, our left fielder, our center fielder, our Friday night starter, our Sunday starter, and our closer," he said.

Other than that?

"We're good. We got everybody back," he said.

Mingione opens his third season as the head coach of the Wildcats on Friday — and he admittedly feels like he's starting over.

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Kentucky returns only three starters from a team that narrowly missed the tournament a year ago. This year's team has 22 newcomers after a school-record 13 players were taken in the MLB draft. The Wildcats will play in a new stadium — the $49 million Kentucky Proud Park.

"It's crazy," Mingione said. "I've never experienced anything like this in my life."

Kentucky was picked to finish second-to-last in the SEC's East Division in the preseason conference coaches poll. And while Mingione stopped short of any predictions during media day, he said he wasn't concerned about the turnover.

"We may not have as much experience, but I can tell you, I love our team," he said, referring to his players as "high-trust and low-maintenance."

One player the Wildcats don't have to replace from 2018 is junior left-handed pitcher Zack Thompson. The Selma, Indiana, native missed a large chunk of last year because of an elbow injury. He had a 4.94 ERA and struck out 42 batters in 31 innings.

Thompson spent the summer with the USA Baseball Collegiate National Team, where he threw a total of 8 2/3 shutout innings. His performance earned him a spot on Baseball America's preseason All-America first team. He's also among the top prospects for the 2019 MLB draft.

Despite the preseason accolades, he said, "I still feel underestimated. I want to prove something. I've kind of got that chip on my shoulder, too, like the rest of our team."

Mingione said Thompson will move into the team's Friday starter role. He said every faction of Thompson's game is better than it was a year ago — "mentally, physically, the way he acts, behaviorally, technically, all of his pitches are improved."

"The second he steps on the mound, he brings an edge, he brings a competitiveness, he brings a toughness," Mingione said. "And our team will immediately be confident because of his track record and how competitive he is."

Thompson said it's been his goal since he stepped on campus to be the "Friday night guy."

"I'm just going to try and set the tone for the rest of the team for the weekend and give us a chance to win," he said.

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Other key returners include first baseman T.J. Collett, who had 10 home runs and 34 RBIs in 34 games last year before his season was cut short because of an injury. Sophomore pitchers Carson Coleman, Jimmy Ramsey and Mason Hazelwood, who combined for 75 1/3 innings in 2018, are in the mix to start.

Mingione pointed to pitcher Dillon Marsh as a freshman who could make an impact. Other players who took big strides over the offseason include outfielder Ryan Shinn, infielder Alex Rodriguez and outfielder Cam Hill.

Improvement starts with more efficiency with his pitchers, better defense, and replacing big holes on offense, Mingione said. And he's confident his team will deliver.

"It's amazing what a difference a year makes," he said.

Thompson said this upcoming season reminds him of his freshman year in 2017. In Mingione's first year, the Wildcats advanced to the super regional, where they lost to in-state rival, Louisville.

"Everybody is underestimating us. They're not giving us a chance," Thompson said. "We're right where we want to be. They're not expecting it."

Mingione acknowledged "there's an edge" about his team after how the season finished a year ago.

"They've totally embraced everything we're trying to do," he said. "We got to prove some people wrong this year. There's a lot to prove."

Justin Sayers: 502-582-4252; jsayers@courierjournal.com; Twitter: @_JustinSayers. Support strong local journalism by subscribing today: courier-journal.com/justins.