2026 commitments

Commitment lists are courtesy of Perfect Game, Prep Baseball Report and independently verified sources.

Jimmy Anderson
Position: Shortstop
Measurables: 6-1, 195 pounds
School: Heartland Community College
Hometown: Joliet, Illinois
Scouting report: A junior college shortstop who would have two years of eligibility remaining if he ends up at Kentucky, Anderson was selected by the Baltimore Orioles in the 19th round of the 2025 MLB Draft. He's considered a draft-and-follow, meaning he can still sign with the Orioles in between the time his college season ends and two weeks before the 2026 MLB Draft. Anderson hit .439/.520/.706 with 18 doubles, one triple, 10 homers and 63 RBI in 2025.

Joey Ansell
Position: Left-handed pitcher
Measurables: 6-6, 225 pounds
School: Brentwood Academy
Hometown: Franklin, Tennessee
Scouting report: A tall left-hander from the Volunteer State, Ansell was committed to West Virginia until October of his senior season. Kentucky was in the market for left-handed pitching and hosted Ansell for a visit following a few good outings in Jupiter, Florida, and quickly earned his commitment. Ansell has been up to 92 miles per hour with his fastball and should come to college with a good feel for a changeup. According to a Perfect Game tweet, Ansell also has a slider and cutter. He was a summer ball teammate with fellow 2026 Kentucky commitment Kaden Powell.

Rob Czarniecki
Position: Outfielder
Measurables: 6-1, 195 pounds
School: Chesterton
Hometown: Chesterton, Indiana
Scouting report: Czarniecki projects as a center fielder at the next level. He’s been clocked running a 6.62 60-yard dash, throwing 90 miles per hour from the outfield and recorded a 103.5 exit velo at the plate during a PBR workout. He was an All-State selection in Indiana as a sophomore, but he played in just 10 games (according to MaxPreps) during his junior season. He plays on the Indiana Bulls 17 Black summer ball team.

Sam Finn
Position: Left-handed pitcher
Measurables: 6-3, 200 pounds
School: Plainfield North
Hometown: Plainfield, Illinois
Scouting report: Finn chose Kentucky late in the process, committing to the Wildcats at the beginning of his senior year. He's the only left-handed pitcher in the class and the fifth pitching commit overall for 2026. In early August, Finn was clocked at 89 miles per hour at a Prep Baseball Report event, and also throws a curveball between 74-78 miles per hour and a slider around 76 miles per hour.

Carson May
Position: Catcher
Measurables: 6-2, 220 pounds
School: Olathe East
Hometown: Olathe, Kansas
Scouting report: A potential catcher or first baseman down the road, May has been considered one of the better power-hitting prospects over the past year out of Kansas. Listed at a stout 6-2, 220 pounds, May has recorded a max exit velo of nearly 103 miles per hour per PBR. May is ranked among the top 250 players nationally by both PBR and Perfect Game. He’s from Olathe, the same hometown as former Kentucky basketball All-American Willie Cauley-Stein.

Cole McLean
Position: Left-handed pitcher
Measurables: 6-1, 180 pounds
School: Taylor County
Hometown: Campbellsville, Kentucky
Scouting report: McLean led the state with 127 strikeouts as a junior and went 9-1 on the season, helping him earn Gatorade Player of the Year honors in Kentucky. A long-time Tennessee commitment, McLean reopened his recruitment once Tony Vitello accepted the managerial position with the San Francisco Giants. His fastball has been recorded in the low 90s and he has breaking pitches that sit in the upper 70s to low 80s.

Robert Omidi
Position: Infielder
Measurables: 6-1, 185 pounds
School: St. Martin
Hometown: Mississauga, Ontario
Scouting report: Considered to have an advanced feel at the plate by some scouts, Omidi could be next in the line of successful Canadians in the Kentucky baseball program. He’s ranked as the top prospect in Ontario by PBR and projects as a middle infielder at the next level. Omidi has a sweet swing from the left side, topping out at 103.8 mph with his exit velo at a PBR event. He’s spent the 2025 summer playing with Canada’s Junior National Team (U18).

Matt Ponatoski
Position: Infielder/RHP
Measurables: 6-2, 195 pounds
School: Moeller
Hometown: Cincinnati, Ohio
Scouting report: One of the highest-ranked prospects to commit to Kentucky in the Internet era, Ponatoski was the Gatorade Player of the Year in Ohio after hitting .462 as a junior with seven doubles, four home runs, 37 RBIs and a .556 on-base percentage. He’s also ranked in the top 100 nationally as a quarterback and is committed to playing both sports for the Wildcats. Baseball America considers Ponatoski as a top 50 draft prospect in the 2026 MLB Draft, so whether or not he gets to campus will be one of the biggest storylines of the recruiting class.

Kaden Powell
Position: 1B/OF
Measurables: 6-4, 250 pounds
School: Beech
Hometown: Henderson, Tennessee
Scouting report: Perhaps no other Kentucky commitment had a better individual season than Powell. He was named First Team TBCA in Class AAAA after hitting .414 with 10 doubles, 13 homers and 36 RBIs. According to MaxPreps, Powell’s 13 homers tied for 13th nationally. Also a high school quarterback, Powell has impressive athleticism for his size and has been clocked running a 6.9 60-yard dash.

Logan Sorrel
Position: Right-handed pitcher
Measurables: 6-4, 210 pounds
School: Parkview Baptist High School
Hometown: Baton Rouge, Louisiana
Scouting report: Another multi-sport athlete – he's a quarterback at Parkview Baptist High School – Sorrel has been up to 92 miles per hour on the mound this summer. He was scouted by Kentucky's staff throughout the summer and committed in the middle of July. In addition to his fastball, he throws a breaking ball in the mid-70s.

Aiden Smith
Position: Right-handed pitcher
Measurables: 6-3, 180 pounds
School: Shelbyville
Hometown: Shelbyville, Indiana
Scouting report: A tall, athletic right-hander, Smith sits in the low 90s with his fastball for now and also shows a slider and changeup. He went 5-1 with a 2.39 ERA and 55 strikeouts in 44 innings as a junior at Shelbyville High School. Though he projects as a pitcher at the next level, Smith homered seven times and hit .413 this past season. Smith also plays tennis at Shelbyville High School.

Sammy Swank
Position: Right-handed pitcher
Measurables: 6-4, 185 pounds
School: McCutcheon
Hometown: Lafayette, Indiana
Scouting report: In addition to having a fantastic baseball name, Swank has been on draft radars since beginning his junior season at McCutcheon High School in Lafayette, Indiana. Baseball America ranks him among the top 150 high schoolers to watch in the 2026 MLB Draft, in part because of his projections to sit in the mid-90s with his fastball in the coming years. A long-time Kentucky commitment, Swank is now listed at 6-4, 215 pounds.

Grayson Willoughby
Position: Right-handed pitcher
Measurables: 6-2, 180 pounds
School: Trinity
Hometown: Louisville, Kentucky
Scouting report: Named the MVP of the KHSAA state tournament, Willoughby helped lead Trinity High School to its second state title in program history in 2025. He hit .500 at the plate in 70 at-bats as a junior and finished 5-1 with a 1.93 ERA and 54 strikeouts in 40 innings pitched. He’s shot up the rankings since committing to Kentucky in 2024, now ranked in the top 100 nationally by PBR and Perfect Game and is the top player in Kentucky by both sites. His fastball has topped out at 95 miles per hour.