Kentucky set to sign its highest-ranked recruiting class in years

On Wednesday, Nov. 12, college baseball programs can begin adding signatures from members of their 2026 recruiting class. Kentucky has 13 commitments in the class – 12 from high school and one from junior college.

According to Perfect Game, Kentucky's class is the 16th best in the nation. The MLB draft in July will shuffle the rankings again, but for now, it is the highest-ranked Kentucky class since head coach Nick Mingione's first class in 2017.

The overall strength of the Southeastern Conference is on display in these rankings. Despite landing in the top-20 nationally, the Wildcats' class is the 12th-best in the SEC. Still, Kentucky's profile on the recruiting trail continues to grow following its on-field success in recent years. Some of the most sought-after recruits in Kentucky's class committed in the months following the program's first trip to the College World Series in 2024.

Today's story takes a deeper look at the class. To view the full class and learn more about each player, follow the link below.

UK baseball 2026 commitments

University of Kentucky baseball 2026 high school baseball commitments.

Bat Cats CentralDerek Terry

The last of its kind

In 2023, the NCAA passed new rules designed to slow down the college baseball recruiting process. Under the new guidelines, no contact between players (or anyone speaking on their behalf) or coaches was allowed until Aug. 1 of his junior year. Previously, coaches were not allowed to contact players until Sept. 1 of their junior year, but players were allowed to contact coaches. It led to a recruiting process that often saw players commit as early as middle school or as freshmen in high school.

“I feel like with the way recruiting was going, guys were wanting and feeling pressure to commit earlier and earlier,” Mingione told Baseball America. “Kids are committing because everyone else was doing it, not because it was right and they’re ready.”

Ultimately, the Wildcats wound up with two commitments prior to the rule change who are expected to sign this week: Tennessee outfielder Kaden Powell and Indiana right-handed pitcher Sammy Swank. Both players have been committed since their high school freshman season in 2023. They committed prior to the Wildcats' resurgence under Mingione, and also committed to a different recruiting coordinator. Current Georgia assistant Will Coggin was leading the Wildcats' recruiting efforts at the time. The rest of the class committed under Austin Cousino, the current recruiting coordinator for Kentucky.

Momentum builds following College World Series run

Roughly half of the members of the 2026 class committed during the fall of 2024. Kentucky, riding momentum from its trip to Omaha, was aggressive in adding some of the top talent in the state and in the Midwest. Grayson Willoughby, a right-handed pitcher from Trinity High School in Louisville, committed in August. He has since emerged as one of the top draft prospects in the Wildcats' class, but he helped get the ball rolling that fall. Other top prospects who committed after that included Indiana outfielder Rob Czarniecki (the top prospect in Indiana when he committed), Indiana right-handed pitcher Aiden Smith and Kansas catcher/first baseman Carson May. Kentucky, with a good history of success in Canada, landed infielder Robert Omidi from Ontario.

Each of these players is listed in the top 150 of the national rankings by either Perfect Game or Prep Baseball Report.

Pitching becomes a priority

The final five commitments in the class all took place in July or later. Four of the commitments are from players who will be expected to pitch: Louisiana right-hander Logan Sorrel, Illinois left-hander Sam Finn, Tennessee left-hander Joey Ansell and Kentucky left-hander Cole McLean.

Left-handed pitching became a major emphasis for the program this fall. In addition to the trio listed above, five lefties are already committed in the 2027 class.

McLean is the most recent commitment. A former longtime Tennessee verbal, McLean reopened his recruitment when Tony Vitello accepted the managerial position with the San Francisco Giants. He quickly took a visit to Kentucky and committed to the in-state Wildcats. McLean was named the 2025 Kentucky Gatorade Player of the Year after leading Taylor County to an appearance in the state tournament. He struck out 127 batters and finished with a 0.75 ERA as a junior.

Ansell was formerly committed to West Virginia, and Finn was a late riser out of Illinois. Sorrel, from Baton Rouge, was up to 92 miles per hour this summer with his fastball and caught the eye of Kentucky's coaches, ultimately leading to his commitment in July.

The other commitment came from the player who is likely the most well-known of any Kentucky baseball commitment. Matt Ponatoski, the Ohio Gatorade Player of the Year in both baseball and football, committed to the Kentucky baseball and football programs on July 6. He's one of the highest-ranked baseball players in school history according to PBR – landing in the top-20 of the national rankings – and is also ranked in the top 150 nationally in football by both Rivals.com and ESPN. There are several questions with Ponatoski. Will he even make it to college at all? If he does, would he actually play both sports? If he did try to play both sports, which position would he play for the baseball team?

Some scouts believe Ponatoski's future on the diamond is in the infield, but it's difficult to imagine he could be an SEC starting quarterback in the fall and starting infielder in the spring. If he does make it to Lexington, Ponatoski's journey will be one of the more fascinating storylines to follow.

2026 MLB Draft buzz

Every college baseball program that recruits at a high level must contend with the MLB draft for its players. Last year, the Wildcats lost three coveted recruits to the draft: two-way star Conor Essenburg (Atlanta Braves), right-handed pitcher Joshua Flores (Milwaukee Brewers), and catcher Jase Mitchell (Houston Astros). However, a solid group of freshmen still enrolled, headlined by Lexington native Owen Jenkins. In 2024, Kentucky caught a massive break when Tyler Bell was selected No. 66 overall but bypassed signing with the Tampa Bay Rays to come to school. Sometimes you get lucky.

The reality is that some of the players who are signing this week will be difficult to get to campus. The commitments who have played in the big national showcases and all-star events during the late summer and fall have now been seen several times by MLB scouts and will be closely watched this spring. There will be more clarity on their draft range and signing number as we approach the summer.

For now, my educated guess at the players to watch closest will be Ponatoski, Willoughby, Omidi and junior college shortstop Jimmy Anderson. Anderson was selected by the Baltimore Orioles in the 19th round of last year's draft. He's 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. If he did enroll at Kentucky, he'd have two years of eligibility remaining.

The questions around Ponatoski have already been listed, but based on his talent, there's no question he would sign for over seven figures in July if he remains healthy.

Willoughby took a big jump in his junior season and became one of the top pitching prospects in the class. He touched 96 mph with his fastball at the Perfect Game All-American Classic in San Diego in August. Willoughby also pitched in North Carolina during the USA 18U National Team trials and threw in the Area Code Games in the fall. These are all indicators that he'll have MLB crosscheckers coming to Louisville in the spring to get a better look. It's worth noting that Willoughby will be 19 at the time of the draft, meaning he could be draft-eligible again after just two years of college.

Omidi had a few big outings this fall and looks like one of the best pure hitters from the left side in the high school class. He's ranked among the top 200 players in his draft class by Baseball America and will turn 18 just about a month before the draft, putting him on the younger side of prospects available.