Kentucky adds 2025 Gatorade Player of the Year Cole McLean

The standout left-hander was committed to Tennessee for three years but opened his recruitment following Tony Vitello's departure from Rocky Top.

Cole McLean, the 2025 Gatorade Player of the Year in Kentucky, committed to the Wildcats on Monday. McLean had been committed to Tennessee since 2022, but opened his recruitment following Tony Vitello's departure to the San Francisco Giants earlier in the week.

Kentucky quickly got McLean on campus for a visit and earned his commitment over the weekend. The Wildcats, which have been heavily pursuing left-handed pitching this fall for its future classes, added a player who was dominant during his junior season at Taylor County High School. McLean led the state in strikeouts with 127 in 65.1 innings and went 9-1 on the season.

An extended look at '26 LHP Cole McLean (KY)... #PGNational @PG_OhioValley https://t.co/vIVQFzMtX8 pic.twitter.com/rsqzL89lCx
— PG Showcases (@PGShowcases) August 11, 2025

McLean is ranked as the top left-hander in the state by both Prep Baseball Report and Perfect Game. Perfect Game has him ranked inside the top 300 on its national list. According to a tweet over the summer from Perfect Game, McLean was sitting 88-90 miles per hour with his fastball and 76-78 with his breaking ball.

With his commitment, Kentucky's 2026 class is up to 13 players. Three recent commitments have come from left-handed pitchers, including last week's from former West Virginia commit Joey Ansell.

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Derek Terry

Derek Terry is the founder of Bat Cats Central, a leading source for Kentucky baseball coverage. Before leaving full-time sportswriting, Derek worked for The Cats' Pause (2017-22) and Cats Illustrated (2015-17), and interned with D1baseball.com.

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