{"id":54332,"date":"2024-06-02T17:00:00","date_gmt":"2024-06-02T22:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/demo.wztzfm.com\/wp\/?p=54332"},"modified":"2024-06-02T17:00:00","modified_gmt":"2024-06-02T22:00:00","slug":"jackie-mccloud-uk-baseballs-biggest-supporter-and-bus-driver","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/demo.wztzfm.com\/wp\/jackie-mccloud-uk-baseballs-biggest-supporter-and-bus-driver\/","title":{"rendered":"Jackie McCloud: UK Baseball\u2019s biggest supporter and bus driver"},"content":{"rendered":"

Kentucky Baseball has had an incredible 2024 season so far. Hosting a Regional for the second consecutive season, the Bat Cats earned the No. 2 overall seed in the 2024 NCAA Tournament. Nick Mingione\u2019s squad is off to a 2-0 start following wins over Western Michigan and Illinois, and can win the Lexington Regional later on Sunday. The Super Regionals are within reach. <\/p>\n

Before tournament time though, is the regular season\u2026 obviously. From mid-February to mid-May, the Bat Cats travel all over the country to take on their opponents. While baseball is a team sport, there\u2019s one man who stands out from the rest: Jackie McCloud<\/a>. <\/p>\n

It\u2019s okay if that name doesn\u2019t sound familiar right off the bat. In fact, I didn\u2019t know who McCloud was until just recently. Earlier this week, BBN Tonight\u2019s Maggie Davis took some time to interview McCloud<\/a>, the team\u2019s 12-year-tenured bus driver<\/strong>. <\/p>\n

McCloud said he\u2019s driven to every single school in the SEC. Yep, even Mississippi State in Starkville\u2026 yeesh. <\/p>\n

\n\n

No one celebrates a @UKBaseball<\/a> win like Mr. Jackie!! <\/p>\n

Tonight at 7:30, we introduce you to the man who always gets the Bat Cats going \u2014 whether he’s on the road driving the team bus or on the field at KPP celebrating after a big win<\/p>\n

With @NickelLaz<\/a> for @BBNTonight<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/0YETx5K46a<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 Maggie Davis (@MaggieDavisTV) May 31, 2024<\/a><\/p><\/span>\n<\/div>\n

He\u2019s created traditions: a \u201cshake it off,\u201d head shake after disappointing losses that became a regular thing for the \u2018Cats. McCloud even carries a broom to the games in case Kentucky sweeps its opponent. Something as silly as taking two trips around a roundabout because the guys on the team said \u201cYou won\u2019t.\u201d There\u2019s absolutely no doubt that everyone in the program loves McCloud, including head coach Nick Mingione. <\/p>\n

\u201cOur guys absolutely adore him,\u201d Mingione said with a huge smile. \u201cHe is just an amazing guy. Personally, I love him.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s no selfish people on this team. Everybody is bought into the program<\/strong>,\u201d McCloud said. You could argue that McCloud is the most<\/em> bought-in. <\/p>\n

After driving the team bus for 12 seasons, McCloud has seen a rotation of coaches, players, staff members, wins, and<\/em> losses. But without him, the team would be getting nowhere. Literally. <\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m so blessed,\u201d the Kentucky native said. \u201cGod\u2019s blessed me so much, and I don\u2019t take anything for granted. I just know that, when you get in this bus, you\u2019ve got some awful precious cargo.\u201d<\/p>\n

So, next time the \u2018Cats take a trip to a different field, take a second to think about the man that got them there. None of it would be possible without Jackie McCloud. <\/p>\n

The post Jackie McCloud: UK Baseball\u2019s biggest supporter and bus driver<\/a> appeared first on On3<\/a>.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Kentucky Baseball has had an incredible 2024 season so far. Hosting a Regional for the…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":0,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"ngg_post_thumbnail":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-54332","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/demo.wztzfm.com\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/54332","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/demo.wztzfm.com\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/demo.wztzfm.com\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/demo.wztzfm.com\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=54332"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/demo.wztzfm.com\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/54332\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":54371,"href":"https:\/\/demo.wztzfm.com\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/54332\/revisions\/54371"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/demo.wztzfm.com\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=54332"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/demo.wztzfm.com\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=54332"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/demo.wztzfm.com\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=54332"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}