Tag: Kentucky Baseball

SEC baseball releases 2025 schedules: Here’s who Kentucky will play

The SEC released the 2025 conference schedules for all 16 baseball teams Thursday afternoon. Here’s who Kentucky will face in conference play in 2025.

The Southeastern Conference announced the 2025 league baseball schedules for all 16 members on Thursday. The Kentucky Wildcats will play five conference series at home and five on the road.

Here’s who the Bat Cats will play.

Kentucky will open conference play on the road against Georgia in Athens, March 14-16, and will also visit Texas A&M, Tennessee, Mississippi State and Vanderbilt in league action. The Volunteers won the 2024 College World Series over the runner-up Aggies. Kentucky will be in Knoxville for Easter Weekend, April 18-20.

Auburn, Ole Miss and South Carolina are three of the more familiar SEC rivals who will visit Kentucky Proud Park in 2025, as will conference newcomers Texas and Oklahoma. Auburn will head to Lexington on March 21-23 for Kentucky’s SEC home opener.

Texas is scheduled to visit Lexington, April 11-13, while Kentucky will host Oklahoma in the second to last regular-season series, May 9-11. The Bat Cats will close the regular season in Nashville against Vanderbilt, May 15-17 before the SEC Tournament in Hoover (Ala.).

Kentucky is coming off its best season in program history. The Bat Cats won a school-record 46 games to finish 46-16 overall and were ranked No. 3 in the final USA TODAY Sports baseball coaches poll behind Tennessee and Texas A&M. Kentucky reached the College World Series for the first time in school history.

After the season, Kentucky had seven players selected in the 2024 Major League Baseball Draft: outfielder Ryan Waldschmidt (No. 31 overall by the Arizona Diamondbacks), second baseman Emilien Pitre (second-round, Tampa Bay Rays), pitcher Trey Pooser (fifth-round, Tampa Bay), first baseman Ryan Nicholson (10th round, Los Angeles Angels), and pitchers Mason Moore (15th round, Chicago White Sox), Travis Smith (15th round, Milwaukee Brewers) and Dominic Niman (18th round, Tampa Bay).

 

The 2025 season will be the ninth for Kentucky under coach Nick Mingione, who recently agreed to a longterm contract extension with the school just last week.

RELATED: Kentucky baseball coach Nick Mingione agrees to contract extension

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Kentucky baseball coach Nick Mingione agrees to contract extension

Nick Mingione figures to stay in Lexington for a long time.

Nick Mingione has received a nice reward for leading Kentucky baseball to the program’s first ever College World Series.

Mingione and the school have agreed to a new five-year contract. The news was first reported Friday afternoon by Derek Terry of Bat Cats Central. The new deal runs through the 2029 season and will see Mingione earn an average of $1,435,000 annually.

His 2025 salary will be a reported $1,175,000, with Mingione scheduled to earn an automatic one-year extension every year he leads Kentucky to the NCAA Tournament. The Bat Cats have made the tournament each of the past two years.

In June, Mingione led Kentucky to the College World Series after sweeping Oregon State in the Lexington Super Regional. The Bat Cats defeated North Carolina State on a walk-off home run from Mitchell Daly in the 10th inning for the program’s first win in Omaha.

Kentucky ended the season at 46-16 overall and finished No. 3 in the final USA TODAY Sports baseball coaches poll behind national champion Tennessee and College World Series runner-up Texas A&M. The 2025 season will be Mingione’s ninth as Kentucky head coach.

 

Seven players from the Bat Cats’ 2024 team were selected in the Major League Baseball Draft: outfielder Ryan Waldschmidt (No. 31 overall by the Arizona Diamondbacks), second baseman Emilien Pitre (second-round, Tampa Bay Rays), pitcher Trey Pooser (fifth-round, Tampa Bay), first baseman Ryan Nicholson (10th round, Los Angeles Angels), and pitchers Mason Moore (15th round, Chicago White Sox), Travis Smith (15th round, Milwaukee Brewers) and Dominic Niman (18th round, Tampa Bay).

All seven players who were drafted signed with their respective MLB clubs. Daly and infielder Grant Smith were senior members of Kentucky’s 2024 team and signed separately as undrafted free agents.

RELATED: Kentucky cracks Baseball America way-too-early Top 25 rankings

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Kentucky baseball commit Tyler Bell foregoes MLB, will play in Lexington

Tyler Bell announced Wednesday that he would play for Kentucky baseball.

Nick Mingione and the Kentucky baseball program got a major boost Wednesday when highly touted infielder and class of 2024 recruit Tyler Bell announced his intention to play for the Bat Cats in 2025.

Bell was the No. 66 overall selection by the Tampa Bay Rays in this year’s Major League Baseball Draft. He announced his intention to forego the professional ranks and to play for Kentucky in a social media post to X early Wednesday afternoon.

In doing so, the Rays will lose the $1,260,200 million slot value associated with the pick from their bonus pool. Bell will not be eligible for the draft again until after the 2026 season.

“Tyler is an outstanding player and tremendous person,” Mingione said in a press release. “He will perfectly fit into our culture both on and off the field. The Kentucky baseball program got better today.”

Listed as 6-foot-1, 190 pounds, Bell committed to Kentucky out of Lincoln-Way East High School in Frankfort, Ill. Perfect Game rated him the No. 59 overall player in the class of 2024.

The 2024 season was a historic one for Kentucky baseball. The Wildcats reached the College World Series in Omaha for the first time in program history and finished No. 3 in the final USA TODAY Sports baseball coaches poll behind national champion Tennessee and runner-up Texas A&M.

Kentucky barely cracks Baseball America way-too-early Top 25 rankings

Here’s where Kentucky ranks in Baseball America’s first way-too-early Top 25 for next season.

Kentucky baseball is coming off its best season in program history.

Nick Mingione’s team reached the College World Series for the first time in school history and went 46-16 overall to finish No. 3 in the final USA TODAY Sports baseball coaches poll behind national champion Tennessee and runner-up Texas A&M.

But roster turnover, which includes the transfer portal and losing a plethora of players to the professional ranks through the 2024 Major League Baseball Draft (plus two others who signed as non-drafted free agents), will cause Mingione to have to rebuild if the Wildcats expect to reach Omaha again next season.

Because of that, Baseball America has Kentucky at No. 23 in its way-too-early Top 25 rankings for the 2025 season, released Wednesday.

Per Baseball America:

“Mingione has proven adept at managing the transfer portal to reload. He also has some key returners to build around in catcher Devin Burkes and righthander Robert Hogan.

Kentucky doesn’t have the most talented roster in this Top 25 and another school with this kind of turnover might not be ranked here. But after hosting back-to-back regionals with similar builds, the Wildcats have earned the benefit of the doubt.”

Kentucky saw four pitchers and three position players selected via the MLB Draft, including outfielder Ryan Waldschmidt (No. 31 overall by Arizona) and second baseman Emilien Pitre (second round, No. 58 overall by Tampa Bay). First baseman Ryan Nicholson was drafted in the 10th round by the Los Angeles Angels (no. 292 overall).

Pitchers Trey Pooser (10th round, Tampa Bay), Mason Moore (15th round, Chicago White Sox), Travis Smith (15th round, Milwaukee) and Dominic Niman (18th round, Tampa Bay) were selected, as well. Infielders Mitchell Daly and Grant Smith were signed as non-drafted free agents.

In the transfer portal, the Wildcats lost outfielder Nolan McCarthy to Georgia but have added pitchers Nic McCay (from South Dakota State), Chase Alderman (Eastern Kentucky), Scott Rouse (Radford), Oliver Boone (Cal), Simon Gregersen (Indiana State), Matthew Watson (Texas A&M-Corpus Christi), Ethan Walker (Longwood) and Cole Hentschel (Richmond).

Kentucky also picked up Kansas State catcher Raphael Pelletier, INF/OF Cole Hage (Columbia), INFs Luke Lawrence (Illinois State) and Dylan Koontz (Campbell), and outfielders Shaun Montoya (San Diego State) and Will Marcy (Memphis). Outfielder Carson Hansen, who spent last season at Milwaukee-Wisconsin, committed to Arkansas before changing his commitment to Kentucky last week.

Outfielder Jackson Strong (Canisius) committed to Kentucky in the transfer portal but was drafted by the Detroit Tigers in the seventh round. Strong has yet to sign with the Tigers.

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).

RELATED: Social media reacts to Ryan Waldschmidt being selected 31st overall in MLB Draft

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.

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Kentucky’s Ryan Nicholson, Trey Pooser chosen on Day 2 of MLB Draft

In addition to Emilien Pitre, Kentucky saw two more players drafted Monday.

Kentucky saw two more players taken on Day 2 of the 2024 MLB Draft Monday.

After the Tampa Bay Rays took second baseman Emilien Pitre in the second round (58th overall), the team used their 10th-round pick on pitcher Trey Pooser (No. 306 overall).

First baseman Ryan Nicholson was drafted in the 10th round (No. 292 overall) by the Los Angeles Angels — 14 spots before Pooser was chosen. Nicholson’s slot value is listed by MLB.com as $184,700; Pooser’s is listed as $180,300.

Nicholson transferred to Kentucky after spending three years at Cincinnati. He was a major contributor on a Wildcats team that reached the College World Series for the first time in school history. Nicholson hit .306 with a team-high 23 home runs and 63 RBIs in 59 games. He tied Kentucky’s single-season record for most home runs.

A native of Louisville, Nicholson finished with a 1.094 OPS and had several big moments in 2024, including his game-tying ninth-inning home run in the Wildcats’ College World Series debut against NC State. Kentucky went on to win in 10 innings on a walk-off home run from Mitchell Daly.

For his part, Pooser was another transfer into Nick Mingione’s program who excelled in 2024. The right-hander and former College of Charleston hurler became the Wildcats’ best pitcher, particularly down the stretch.

He tossed seven innings of one-run ball against Illinois in the Lexington Regional and following it up with seven shutout innings of one-hit ball in the opener of the Super Regional against Oregon State. Pooser ended the season 7-1 with a 3.50 ERA in 19 games (13 starts). He struck out 82 batters and walked 35 in 90 innings pitched.

Kentucky also saw two transfer portal additions selected on Day 2 of the draft in former Canisius outfielder Jackson Strong (seventh round by Detroit) and former Transylvania University infielder Trent Youngblood (10th round by Arizona).

Earlier in the draft, Ryan Waldschmidt was selected with the 31st overall pick by Arizona on Sunday. The 2024 MLB Draft will conclude Tuesday.

Follow us @UKWildcatsWire on X and on Facebook for ongoing coverage of Kentucky Wildcats news, notes and commentary.

Kentucky’s Emilien Pitre drafted in second round by Tampa Bay Rays

Emilien Pitre became the second Wildcats player selected in the 2024 MLB Draft Sunday night.

Kentucky baseball saw its second player taken in the 2024 MLB Draft Sunday night when second baseman Emilien Pitre became a second-round selection (No. 58 overall) by the Tampa Bay Rays.

Pitre batted .301 with 10 home runs and 20 doubles in 62 games for the Wildcats in 2024. He finished the season with 58 RBIs and a .939 OPS and was a key cog in Kentucky’s trip to the College World Series — their first in school history. In Omaha, Pitre was 4-for-11 with a home run in the team’s three games.

A native of Quebec, Canada, Pitre joined the program ahead of the 2022 season and saw action in 11 games his freshman season. A year later, he had a breakout campaign, starting all 61 games and batting .311 with 16 doubles.

For his efforts this past season, Pitre earned All-SEC Defensive Team honors and finished with a fielding percentage of .992 (two errors in 225 chances). At the plate, he had a season-high three hits in Kentucky’s 10-1 victory over Alabama on April 7 in Lexington.

Pitre could still return to Kentucky for his senior season but it’s highly unlikely. His projected slot value as the No. 58 overall pick is $1.5 million.

Earlier Sunday, Kentucky outfielder Ryan Waldschmidt was drafted in the first round (31st overall) by the Arizona Diamondbacks.

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Kentucky baseball hires rising star as hitting coach

Kentucky has tabbed Wright State assistant Chase Slone as the Wildcats’ new hitting coach.

Kentucky baseball officially has a new hitting coach.

The school announced the hiring of Chase Slone as the Wildcats’ hitting coach and assistant coach Sunday. Slone comes to Lexington from Wright State. He’ll take over hitting coach duties from Nick Ammirati, who left for a position on Georgia’s staff earlier this month.

“Chase is a perfect fit for Kentucky Baseball,” Kentucky coach Nick Mingione said in a news release Sunday. “He’s extremely intelligent, innovative and has played a pivotal role in one of the nation’s most effective and opportunistic offensive attacks. We are thrilled to welcome him to the UK baseball family and the Big Blue Nation.”

The 28-year-old Slone was a player at Wright State from 2018-19 before returning to the school as a member of the coaching staff. He started as a volunteer assistant in 2020 before working his way up to Associate Head Coach entering the 2024 season.

As a team, the Raiders finished 10th among Division I teams in scoring a season ago (nine runs per game) and eighth in home runs and slugging percentage per game. Wright State went 32-24 overall in 2024, winning the Horizon League regular season championship. They were eliminated in their conference tournament by Youngstown State and did not reach the NCAA Tournament.

Kentucky’s offense was 33rd in the nation last year in runs scored. The Wildcats earned their first trip to the College World Series in school history, finishing 46-16 overall.

Kentucky finished No. 3 in the final USA TODAY Sports baseball coaches poll.

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Where Kentucky finished in final 2024 USA TODAY Sports baseball coaches poll

Here’s where Kentucky placed in the final USA TODAY Sports baseball coaches poll, released this week.

By all measures, the 2024 college baseball season was a success for the Kentucky Wildcats and coach Nick Mingione.

After being swept in both games of the Baton Rouge Super Regional by eventual national champion LSU a year ago, the Wildcats had one of the biggest breakthrough seasons in the SEC in 2024.

They reached the College World Series for the first time in school history. The program’s first win in Omaha was also a thriller, featuring a walk-off home run from Mitchell Daly to defeat North Carolina State, 5-4, in 10 innings. Kentucky’s season, which featured a school record 46 wins, came to an end when the team was eliminated by Florida.

After Tennessee was crowned national champions following a 6-5 victory over Texas A&M in Game 3 of the CWS Finals on Monday night, the final USA TODAY Sports baseball coaches poll was released Tuesday. Kentucky (46-16 overall) finished at No. 3 behind the Volunteers and Aggies.

No. 4 Florida State and No. 5 North Carolina rounded out the top five. Florida finished at No. 6 with Virginia, North Carolina State, Clemson and Georgia ranked Nos. 7-10.

Kentucky finished No. 13 in the final coaches poll in 2023.

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Best photos from Texas A&M’s 6-0 Semifinals win over Florida at the CWS

View some of the best photos from Texas A&M’s victory over Florida on Wednesday night.

History has been made with the Texas A&M shutout win over Florida to advance to the program’s first-ever College World Series Final. The Aggies went 8-0 the NCAA Tournament, beating a lot of tough teams along the way, and with all the talk being about the A&M offense to start the season, the pitching has been the talk of the town.

During their 3-0 run in the finals, the team allowed only runs and set a CWS program record with 16 strikeouts in the first game against the Gators. Then, after a 14-strikeout performance on Wednesday night, they set a new team record of 680 strikeouts on the season. Max Weiner said it best about his pitchers in the tournament.

“I hope that the story of this isn’t that they had out-of-body games – they were just themselves.”

The Aggies are on a heck of a run. They finally had a drama-free game and continued to rewrite the Texas A&M baseball record books. Below, you can see some of the best photos from the victory over Florida.

Contact/Follow @AggiesWire on X and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Texas A&M news, notes and opinions. Follow Jarrett Johnson on X: @whosnextsports1.