Ryan Waldschmidt – Syndication Server

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.

Ryan Waldschmidt was picked 31st in the 2024 MLB draft

Former Kentucky outfielder Ryan Waldschmidt was drafted by the Arizona Diamondbacks.

Former Kentucky baseball star Ryan Waldschmidt was projected by most analysts to be a first round draft pick this season. As it turns out, he missed that distinction by one spot, and was picked 31st overall by the Arizona Diamondbacks.

This past season, Waldschmidt was one of the best Wildcats hitters on a team that made it to the College World Series. He hit .333, with 14 homeruns and 47 RBIs. He also stole 25 bases and posted an OPS of 1.079.

Related: Kentucky baseball hires new hitting coach

Waldschmidt was praised for his defense, but also for his ability to hit the ball hard. He brings a nice combination of defense, speed, and power to the Diamondbacks, and could have a fast path to the majors.

Kentucky will likely have a couple of players selected in this year’s draft, but Waldschmidt will go into the books as the first former Wildcat picked. He has the tools to be a very good player for a long time, and Big Blue Nation will be rooting for him.

Ryan Waldschmidt is being projected as a first round draft pick

Ryan Waldschmidt is projected as a top 25 pick in new ESPN baseball mock draft.

The Kentucky baseball team has had one of the best seasons in the school’s history. They won a share of the SEC regular season title, and wound up as the number two overall seed in the NCAA Tournament. One of the leaders, and big reasons for the team’s success, is outfielder Ryan Waldschmidt.

This season, Waldschmidt had a big breakout year for the Wildcats. He is currently hitting .363 with 14 homeruns and 46 RBIs. He has recorded a 1.156 OPS and even stole 24 bases.

With the Major League Baseball draft just over a month away, writers are making projections on who could be picked in the first round. Waldschmidt has entered those conversations.

Related: Best images from Kentucky baseball win over Illinois

ESPN’s Kiley McDaniel recently posted his thoughts in the form of a first round mock draft (subscription required). In it, he predicts Waldschmidt to be picked by the Atlanta Braves with the 24th overall selection. He had this to say about the pick:

Waldschmidt is another late riser in the SEC, with some of the best underlying TrackMan data in the country, right there with the hitters going in the top 10 picks. He’s perceived to fit more with numbers-oriented clubs, and there’s a lot of those in the back half of the first round.

There’s no doubt that Waldschmidt was one of the better players in college baseball this season. Mock drafts are fun exercises by knowledgeable analysts, but can always be wrong. However, it’s clear that the Wildcats outfielder is a special player, and will eventually wind up on a major league field in the future.

Ryan Waldschmidt leads Kentucky baseball to a victory over Illinois

Ryan Waldschmidt homered in a Kentucky baseball win over Illinois on Saturday.

A day after opening the NCAA Tournament with a high-scoring win over Western Michigan, Kentucky baseball faced Illnois in the Lexington Regional. This one would feature more pitching success.

Ryan Nicholson opened up the scoring for the Cats with a two-run homerun in the second inning. Illinois recorded a run of their own in the fourth, but Ryan Waldschmidt doubled in a run in the fifth. Kentucky got out to a 4 – 1 lead in the seventh, then Waldschmidt sealed in the ninth with a two-run homer, and the Wildcats would win 6 – 1.

Related: Multiple Kentucky baseball players named All-SEC

Waldschmidt had a big day for Kentucky, having gone 3-for-5 with a homerun and three RBIs. Nicholson drove in two, while Grant Smith scored twice. On the mound, Trey Pooser was terrific for the Wildcats. He went seven innings and gave up just five hits and one run.

Kentucky will play again on Sunday, with their opponent yet to be determined. It will be played at 6:00 PM ET.

Ryan Waldschmidt leads Kentucky baseball to a game two win over Vanderbilt

Kentucky baseball gets blowout win in game two against Vanderbilt behind Ryan Waldschmidt.

Kentucky baseball is playing their last series of the regular season, and began it with a game one win over Vanderbilt. On Saturday, the offense was even better, and they got a blowout game two victory, 17 – 7.

The Commodores got out to a 2 – 0 lead early, but Ryan Waldschmidt and Emilen Pitre hit back-to-back homeruns in the bottom of the first to tie it. Kentucky would score three more to lead 5 – 2 after one.

Related: Kentucky softball gets post-season win over Michigan

The Wildcats scored five in the first, one in the second, two in the third and fourth innings, three in the fifth, and four more in the sixth. The game was called via the run rule in the seventh inning.

Waldschmidt was the star of the day. He went 4-for-4 with a homer, two RBIs and four runs scored. Ryan Nicholson and Nolan McCarthy each drove in three. Every Wildcats starter drove in at least one run.

Game three of the series is on Saturday. It will be at 12:00 PM ET and can be seen on the SEC Network. It’s the final game of the season before the SEC Tournament.

Kentucky Completes Sweep of Lipscomb

Kentucky baseball looked to complete the sweet of Lipscomb on Sunday

The Kentucky Wildcats baseball team completed their sweep of Lipscomb with a 9-1 victory over the Bisons on Sunday. UK is off to a 10-1 start to this season, which is tied for the second best start ever with the 2022 team, just behind the 12-1 start by the 2018 team.

Mason Moore started the game for the Wildcats, pitching a solid five innings for them, allowing only one run on three hits and two walks, while striking out seven. The Wildcats bullpen finished off the game with four scoreless innings, raising their scoreless inning streak to 18 innings. Evan Byers, Cameron O’Brien, and Colby Frieda pitched the four innings, striking out six.

The offense was strong again for the Wildcats, finishing the day with 16 hits. Émilien Pitre helped lead the Wildcats bats, putting up three hits for the second straight game, along with two RBIs and a run scored. DH Ryan Waldschmidt had a huge day for the Wildcats, going three for five with a double, a home run, three RBIs and two runs scored.

The Wildcats now move on to a two game home and home series against Eastern Kentucky this week. Kentucky will play EKU at home on Tuesday, March 5 at 4 p.m. EST. The game will be available to watch on SECN+ and can be listened to the UK Sports Network on UKathletics.com and 98.5 FM.