Three storylines to follow as fall practice begins at Kentucky
Kentucky baseball begins fall ball today. Here are three storylines to follow over the next few weeks.
Fall reports
Three storylines to follow as fall practice begins at Kentucky
Kentucky baseball begins fall ball today. Here are three storylines to follow over the next few weeks.
6 min read
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Kentucky baseball officially begins fall practice today. Following a third straight trip to the NCAA Tournament, expectations will be high for the Wildcats entering 2026.
On paper, there's a lot to be excited about. Kentucky brings back two pitchers from last year's weekend rotation, sophomore shortstop Tyler Bell should garner preseason All-SEC acclaim and will enter the season with the potential to be a first-round draft pick, second baseman Luke Lawrence is back after starting all 57 games a season ago, and several other players both on the mound and positionally will look to build off last year's success.
“We return 17 guys that were on our team from a year ago, which is a huge number compared to what we’ve maybe had in years past," Kentucky coach Nick Mingione told Bat Cats Central. "It started this summer in the weight room. The coaches are not allowed to be there, but the job that Ben Cleaver, Nate Harris, Jaxon Jelkin, Luke Lawrence, and even the freshmen that came in early, was awesome... You just feel like this group knows what to expect."
In addition, Kentucky signed the No. 8 transfer class according to 64Analytics.
The fall is an important time for every college baseball program. The next month-plus will help set the depth chart heading into the winter months. There will still be time for movement prior to the season beginning in February, but we'll have a better idea of Kentucky's lineup and pitching rotation at the end of October.
Here are three storylines to follow as fall practice begins.
Will the weekend rotation be cemented by the end of October?
Junior lefthander Ben Cleaver is arguably the best returning starting pitcher in the program since Zack Thompson, so the only question for him is which day of the week he'll pitch. Sophomore Nate Harris worked his way into the weekend rotation as a freshman and held his own against SEC opponents, so he holds a sizable advantage over the rest of the field. Several pitchers will be vying for the final weekend spot.