One of the best recruiting wins in the portal for Kentucky this cycle became official on Monday. Alex Kelsey, a center fielder from Saint Joseph's University, announced his commitment to the Wildcats.
Bat Cats Central reported on Sunday morning that Kelsey had completed a visit to Lexington over the weekend. At the time of his departure, one source felt that Kentucky slightly trailed Clemson, where Kelsey had visited prior to Kentucky. But the Wildcats made a strong enough pitch to secure Kelsey's commitment.
Let’s do it!! @UKBaseball pic.twitter.com/b97TrwbOy3
— Alex Kelsey (@AlexLKelsey1) June 15, 2026
With redshirt junior center fielder Jayce Tharnish likely off to professional baseball this summer, Kentucky was in search of a true center fielder for the 2027 roster. Kelsey, a left-handed hitter and defender, slashed .348/.474/.481 in two seasons with 25 doubles, six triples, six home runs, 68 RBIs and 37 career stolen bases.
Kelsey was named to the Atlantic 10 All-Rookie team in 2025 after starting in 56 of 57 games. He was second on the team in batting average (.320) as a freshman and led the team in triples (3), walks (38) and on-base percentage (.458). In 2026, Kelsey hit .373 and tied for the team lead in hits with 81. He was plunked 19 times and drew 31 walks compared to just 27 strikeouts.
Kentucky now has eight commitments from the transfer portal, but more are expected this week. Visit the roster tracker page for a full breakdown of Kentucky's roster activity to this point.
Derek Terry
Incoming transfer portal commitments (8)
- OF Brody Chrisman* (Akron)
- UTIL JP Peltier (Wright State)
- LHP Kale Hammer (Seattle University)
- RHP Logan Hastings (Maryland)
- RHP PJ Craig (Rider)
- INF Owen Lee (Tennessee Tech)
- RHP Mason Snyder (Western Carolina)
- CF Alex Kelsey (Saint Joseph's)
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