College baseball is back. On Friday, No. 18 Kentucky opens its season with a three-game series against UNC Greensboro. The first pitch of the season is scheduled for 4 p.m. ET.
The mega-preview is one of my favorite stories to write. Published every year on the Monday before the first game, it's designed to prepare fans for the upcoming season. Premium subscribers at Bat Cats Central will likely know all the information here, but the casual audience can use it as a quick guide to learn about the team before the season begins.
There's more content than ever before at BCC, so I'll once again encourage members to sign up for a premium subscription. We'll be full steam ahead from now until the MLB draft concludes and next year's roster is set.
The coaching staff
- Nick Mingione, Head Coach (10th season)
- Dan Roszel, Pitching Coach (7th season)
- Austin Cousino, Assistant Coach/Recruiting Coordinator (3rd season)
- Chase Slone, Assistant Coach/Hitting Coach (2nd season)
- Matt Morrow, Director of Offensive Development (1st season)
- Trevor Fitts, Director of Player Development (3rd season)
- Brock Doud, Chief of Staff (7th season on Kentucky’s staff)
Need to know: Mingione enters a milestone 10th season with the Wildcats. His staff mostly stayed in place as well, with pitching coach Dan Roszel back for his seventh season and assistants Austin Cousino and Chase Slone entering their third and second seasons, respectively. Former Wildcat Logan Salow, who was Kentucky's Director of Scouting and Analytics last year, accepted a full-time position as EKU's pitching coach. Mingione chose to lean into an offensive role by hiring former Saint Louis hitting coach Matt Morrow as Director of Offensive Development. Trevor Fitts and Brock Doud are back in their same roles.
Additional reading
Bat Cats Central Staff
Key players lost
- OF Cole Hage
- C Devin Burkes
- LHP Ethan Walker
- RHP Nic McCay
- LHP Jackson Nove
- INF Patrick Herrera
- 1B/RHP James McCoy
Need to know: Production-wise, left fielder Cole Hage was the Wildcats' biggest loss. Hage slashed .322/.444/.574 with 13 doubles, one triple, 12 home runs and 44 RBI. Devin Burkes was a mainstay behind the dish for some of the best Kentucky teams in program history, so replacing him will be a major storyline in the early going. Patrick Herrera, a solid role player in his three seasons at Kentucky, and James McCoy, a starter on the 2024 College World Series team, are both gone as well. Herrera exhausted his eligibility and McCoy transferred to Georgia Southern.
On the mound, Nic McCay started 15 games and was second on the team in innings (72) and strikeouts (71). Jackson Nove made 83 career appearances with the Wildcats and finished with a 5.33 career ERA. Ethan Walker was the only Kentucky draft pick in 2025. He signed with the Boston Red Sox for $150,000 after being picked in the 12th round.
Key returnees
- SS Tyler Bell
- LHP Ben Cleaver
- RHP Nate Harris
- OF Ryan Schwartz
- 2B Luke Lawrence
- 1B Hudson Brown
- OF/DH Carson Hansen
- RHP Jaxon Jelkin (sat out last season after transferring from Houston)
Need to know: Kentucky brings back 219 starts positionally from last season, headlined by sophomore shortstop Tyler Bell. The preseason first-team All-SEC pick is projected as a first-rounder in July's MLB draft. Bell, who was drafted No. 66 overall in the 2024 draft by the Tampa Bay Rays, started in all but one game for the Wildcats last season after an injury kept him out of an elimination game against USC Upstate. Sophomore outfielder Ryan Schwartz, second baseman Luke Lawrence, first baseman Hudson Brown and DH/outfielder Carson Hansen all played big roles on the 2025 regional team and are projected as starters entering the 2026 season.
On the mound, Kentucky returns weekend starters Ben Cleaver and Nate Harris, while inserting Houston transfer Jaxon Jelkin into the weekend rotation. Jelkin sat out last season after transferring during the mid-year, but he was recovering from Tommy John surgery regardless.
The newcomers
Transfers (13): RHP Ira Austin (New Orleans), RHP Jack Bennett (WKU), RHP Bryson Treichel (North Florida), LHP Jackson Soucie (South Carolina), INF Tyler Cerny (Indiana), RHP Connor Mattison (Grand Canyon), C/UTIL Tagger Tyson (Louisville), RHP Burkley Bounds (EKU), OF Jayce Tharnish (St. Bonaventure), OF Scott Campbell (USC Upstate), C Alex Duffey (Elon), RHP Ryan Mullan (Loyola Marymount), RHP Will Pryor (Belmont; out for season with knee injury)
Freshmen (10): C Owen Jenkins, INF Caeden Cloud, OF Ryan Foscolo, RHP Jack Sams, RHP Lucas Hail, LHP Toby Peterson, LHP Will Coleman, INF Maxime Boies, INF Michael Gardner, OF Braxton Van Cleave
Need to know: Kentucky brought in 23 new players in the offseason. The transfer class was ranked No. 8 nationally by 64Analytics and the high school class, which saw three commits sign in the MLB draft, finished No. 43 nationally at Perfect Game.
Eight pitchers signed with the Wildcats out of the portal. Among the rankings, Grand Canyon transfer Connor Mattison came in at No. 15 among all transfers, according to 64Analytics. WKU transfer Jack Bennett, South Carolina transfer Jackson Soucie, LMU transfer Ryan Mullan and New Orleans right-hander Ira Austin all figure to play big roles on the weekends.
Positionally, St. Bonaventure transfer Jayce Tharnish and USC Upstate transfer Scott Campbell Jr. were brought in as plug-and-play outfielders. Elon transfer Alex Duffey and Tagger Tyson have battled it out at catcher, along with top-ranked freshman Owen Jenkins. Indiana transfer infielder Tyler Cerny has 174 games under his belt and moved to third base in the offseason after spending the majority of his career with the Hoosiers in the middle infield.
Another freshman to watch is outfielder Braxton Van Cleave. The Texas native missed his senior season after tearing his UCL, but a strong preseason camp has presented the Wildcats with an additional option from the left side of the plate.
Future recruiting
The 2026 class is one of the best, on paper, in recent memory for the Wildcats. Between Perfect Game and Prep Baseball Report, Kentucky has five signees who are ranked in the top 100 nationally. Cincinnati (Ohio) Archbishop Moeller shortstop/pitcher Matt Ponatoski is the top commit, followed by Trinity High School right-hander Grayson Willoughby, Ontario infielder Robert Omidi, Tennessee outfielder Kaden Powell and Kansas catcher Carson May.
Kentucky also has one junior college signee in 2026. Jimmy Anderson, a shortstop from Heartland Community College, was selected by the Baltimore Orioles in the 18th round of the 2025 draft. Because of the draft-and-follow rule, Anderson can still sign with the Orioles in between the time his college season ends and two weeks before the 2026 MLB Draft.
View the full recruiting class below.
Derek Terry
Preseason projections
The Wildcats were picked to finish 11th in the SEC in the annual preseason coaches poll. However, a few outlets had Kentucky in their preseason top 25.
- 18th (D1baseball.com)
- 19th (The Diamond Report)
- 23rd (The Athletic)
The Athletic ranked Kentucky in its top 25 because of its returning star power.
Kentucky had a younger roster in 2025, and it showed at times, as the Wildcats had to fight their way to a third-straight NCAA Tournament appearance. But in the end, Kentucky made a Regional Final and now returns a veteran roster that was well supplemented through the transfer portal. Sophomore shortstop Tyler Bell is among the most talented all-around players in the country, and Kentucky’s rotation offers immense upside in left-hander Ben Cleaver and right-handers Nate Harris and Jaxon Jelkin, who is healthy after missing last season due to injury.
Biggest storyline
Can Kentucky return to Omaha?
Kentucky entered the 2024 season unranked, but by the middle of April, it was clear the Wildcats were one of the best teams in the country. It finished as the best season in school history by a wide-margin, securing a share of the regular-season SEC title and earning the No. 2 overall seed in the NCAA Tournament. Kentucky won its first five games of the postseason, all at Kentucky Proud Park, to reach the College World Series for the first time in program history. It was a dream season that even the most optimistic Kentucky baseball fans likely did not expect before the season began.
But leading into the 2026 season, there's been a change in what fans allow themselves to believe. After making its third consecutive NCAA Tournament and bringing back a strong core from last year's team, dreams of returning to Omaha are not so far-fetched. 'Omaha or bust' would be too strong a statement for a team picked to finish 11th in the SEC and not ranked as a consensus top-25 club in the preseason, but fans don't have to squint too hard to see a world in which this Kentucky team clicks. There's star power in the lineup and on the mound, and while it will likely take some time to sort out roles in the bullpen and defensively, this seems like a team that could be deeper than in 2024.
Anything less than a fourth straight trip to the NCAA Tournament would be viewed as a disappointment. How much higher is the ceiling for this team beyond that? We'll find out soon enough.
