Dominic Niman – Syndication Server

MLB Draft concludes with seven Kentucky players selected

Kentucky had seven total players from its 2024 team that were selected in the Major League Baseball Draft.

Three Kentucky players were selected on the final day of the annual Major League Baseball Draft on Tuesday, bringing the total number of players drafted from the Wildcats’ 2024 team to seven.

The three players drafted were all pitchers. Right-handers Mason Moore and Travis Smith were each selected in the 15th round. Moore went No. 439 overall to the Chicago White Sox while Smith was selected No. 455 overall by the Milwaukee Brewers.

Left-hander Dominic Niman was an 18th-round selection (No. 546 overall) by the Tampa Bay Rays. The Rays ended up drafting three Wildcats players after taking second baseman Emilien Pitre (second-round, No. 58 overall) and right-hander Trey Pooser (fifth round, No. No. 306 overall) on Day 2 Monday.

Outfielder Ryan Waldschmidt was the first Kentucky player chosen at No. 31 overall by the Arizona Diamondbacks. In addition to Pitre and Pooser being taken on Day 2, the Los Angeles Angels selected first baseman Ryan Nicholson in the 10th round (No. 292 overall).

Of Tuesday’s selections, Moore was 9-4 with a 5.05 ERA in 92 2/3 innings for the Wildcats in 2024. He made 18 starts and struck out 83 batters while walking 54. Smith made 13 appearances (six starts) and was 3-4 with a 6.21 ERA. He struck out 33 and walked 22 in 37 2/3 innings.

Niman started 16 games in 2024 and was 8-5 with a 6.85 ERA in 71 innings. The left-hander struck out 67 batters and walked 25.

Dominic Niman dominates the Crimson Tide as Kentucky wins game two

Kentucky pitcher Dominic Niman shuts out Alabama as the Wildcats win on Saturday

In game two of their three-game series, the Kentucky Wildcats baseball team rode the hot arm of pitcher Dominic Niman to another win over the Alabama Crimson Tide. This one would be a 7 – 0 shutout.

A Devin Burkes sacrifice fly started the scoring for the Cats. Ryan Walschmidt homered in the third inning, then they added four runs in the sixth, two of which came on a Grant Smith two-run homerun.

The star of the game, however, was Kentucky pitcher Dominic Niman. He went all nine innings on Saturday, surrendering only three hits and didn’t give up a run. He struck out seven and walked none.

The win was the seventh straight for the Wildcats. They advance their record to 26 – 4 on the season and 10 – 1 in SEC play thus far.

Kentucky will wrap up the three-game series with the Crimson Tide on Sunday at noon. The series finale can be watched on the SEC Network, where fans can watch the Cats go for the sweep.

Kentucky bats silent as Wildcats fall to Missouri

Kentucky baseball drops game two against Missouri on Saturday

The Kentucky Wildcats baseball team had a seven game win streak after their win over the Missouri Tigers Friday night. On Saturday, though, the streak ended in a 2 – 1 loss in game two with Missouri.

The Cats averaged seven runs per game during the winning streak, and were hitting the ball as well as any team in the country. Missouri’s pitching was fantastic on Saturday, however, and Kentucky’s offense was shut down.

Dominic Niman pitched very well for the Wildcats. He gave up just five hits and two runs in seven innings. Nolan McCarthy went 2-for-4, but was the only hitter to get going for Kentucky.

Missouri’s pitching was even better. Javyn Pimental went six innings, surrendering just a single run, and Bruce Mayer pitched three shutout innings to close it out. Jedier Hernandez had one hit for the Tigers, but it was the game winner, a double that drove in the winning run.

The Wildcats and Tigers will meet on Sunday to decide the series. The game will be played at noon on the SEC Network.