Welcome back to the Bat Cats Central mailbag. It's been several months (eight, to be exact) since the last mailbag, so I appreciate everyone who submitted questions on social media.
There are quite a few questions to get to, so I've decided to split the mailbag into two parts. Today's questions are mainly focused on the pitching staff. The remaining questions will come in the second part of the mailbag. Some of the questions have been edited for clarity.
We'll start with the bullpen.
Bullpen has been the achilles heel the last two seasons it seems. What does it look like going into 2027? – @wildcatstongue
Who in the bullpen do you anticipate stepping up the most? Seems like the summer ball players have not been getting the job done. I remember Harris having an ERA below 1 in the same league that some other guys are struggling in. – @BBN2378
Much of Kentucky's bullpen production from last season is gone. Four of the top five leaders in appearances last year were in their final year of eligibility. Jack Bennett (38.1), Connor Mattison (36.2, though he was also a swing starter), Nile Adcock (36.0) and Jackson Soucie (20.2) logged the most innings out of the bullpen. Mattison ended up with an ERA north of eight, but he was going to be one of the more experienced bullpen pieces this upcoming season with 130 career innings between Kentucky and Grand Canyon. Instead, he's most likely signing a contract with the Minnesota Twins after being picked in the 16th round.
So what's the outlook so far for next season? Looking at the pitchers who are returning to the program and projecting possible roles from the incoming transfers or high schoolers, I'm going to say Nate Harris and Ben Cleaver enter the fall as weekend starters, along with incoming Rider RHP PJ Craig. Will it shake out that way? Who knows. It's a long time until February, but that's what we're going with in this exercise to give a clearer view of bullpen options.
Of the returning players, senior RHP Ryan Mullan had the most appearances in 2026 with 23. He typically wasn't asked to get more than just a few outs, finishing with 16 innings on the season. Junior LHP Leighton Harris was next with 20 appearances and 15 innings pitched. Still, Harris will be the most experienced lefty returning next season.
Other key projected bullpen pieces from last year's team include Chase Alderman, Burkley Bounds, Jack Sams and lefty Will Coleman. Alderman had a great final impression of the season in the Morgantown Regional as he logged 2.1 scoreless innings with two strikeouts and one hit allowed against West Virginia. He could be an interesting breakout pick as he gets further away from some tough injuries in recent years. He looked like a different pitcher toward the end of the season. But among the list above, Sams was the best reliever. He held opponents to a .210 batting average and posted a 2.16 ERA with 20 strikeouts in 16.2 innings. Sams should enter his sophomore season with more confidence after a strong freshman campaign.
There's also the return of Belmont transfer Will Pryor, who missed last season after having knee surgery in the fall.
But Kentucky will need help from its newcomers. Mason Snyder (Western Carolina) led the Southern Conference with a 2.64 ERA and held hitters to a .194 average. He could project as a backend piece. Maryland transfer Logan Hastings got some starting experience with the Terrapins, but I could see him in a long-relief role next season.
Although Sunday was a good day for the baseball program overall, the expected loss of Cooper Corkrean following his selection by the Kansas City Royals in the 18th round of the MLB draft was a tough blow. That dropped Kentucky's LHP portal class to just Kale Hammer, who is coming off an OK season at Seattle University. Kentucky now has six projected lefties on next year's roster, so it wouldn't be a surprise to see the staff try to replace Corkrean with another portal option.
Adam Revelette
Grayson Willoughby surviving the draft felt like one of the biggest recruiting wins of the Nick Mingione era. Do you see him beginning his career in a midweek role, or does he have the talent to compete for weekend innings sooner rather than later? – @moneyballwage
I agree that Willoughby was a huge win. In terms of how the scouting industry views players, Willoughby is likely the best pitcher to make it to campus since Zack Thompson turned down the Tampa Bay Rays after being selected in the 11th round of the 2016 MLB Draft. Travis Smith was also a big in-state recruit, but he wasn't a factor in the MLB draft after undergoing Tommy John surgery at the end of his senior season of high school.
Since the transfer portal became a prevalent source of roster building, Kentucky hasn't typically relied on freshmen to open the season in the weekend rotation. Nate Harris began his freshman year as a midweek starter before moving into the weekend rotation. That would be my guess right now for Willoughby's path as well. I think Willoughby's potential is outstanding, but he will have to be very good this fall to beat out some other experienced options on the roster. It's possible, but I think the safer pick right now is for Willoughby to get his feet wet in a midweek role and then reevaluate the best fit after that.
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Willoughby and Ponatoski are the obvious headliners but are there any other Freshmen you think could get early PT? – Ben
This is the one question that will stray a little bit outside of pitching, but I will still start with the young arms. We just talked about Willoughby, so outside of him, I see a big opportunity for Cole McLean and Joey Ansell, the two freshman lefthanders. McLean had an outstanding prep career at Taylor County High School and was a long-time Tennessee commit before flipping to Kentucky following Tony Vitello's departure from Rocky Top. I think he's got a real chance to play the biggest role on the staff among all the young guys outside of Willoughby. I think all the freshmen righthanders are intriguing and could see each of Logan Sorrel, Aiden Smith and Sammy Swank turning into quality pitchers during their time in Lexington.
Positionally, I'm in on Kaden Powell. I'm not sure which position he'll play yet – he's listed at 6-foot-4, 255 pounds – but the bat is what stands out right now. He's playing this summer with the Boca Raton Blazers of the South Florida Collegiate Baseball League and is currently slashing .349/.521/.605 with five doubles, a triple and five home runs with 30 runs driven in. He's also walked 27 times compared to 17 strikeouts. His home run and walk numbers are both second best in the league. He also hit a bunch of home runs as a high schooler in Tennessee. Powell was a high school quarterback, so we'll see how he does now that he's a full-time baseball player.
I look forward to your thoughts on how (Matt) Ponatoski is going to be utilized. – BatCatTitanAstrosFella
Is (Matt Ponatoski) a pitcher or SS? – Luke
I expect Ponatoski to be a pitcher for the Wildcats. He'll be playing football too, so I'll be curious to see how often he's over at the baseball facility for fall practice. It's hard to even set expectations for him as a freshman because of his unique situation. Ponatoski has a live arm and has been a highly-touted baseball prospect since early in his time at Moeller High School in Cincinnati, but he only threw a little over 30 innings as a high schooler.
I think he could develop into an intriguing pitcher if he committed to it full-time, but my opinion (as of the middle of July, mind you) is that he's not going to be much of a difference-maker his first year on campus. Ponatoski is still a good prospect to get to school, I just see the payoff coming down the road more so than next spring.
