FALL REPORT David Seifert - December 9, 2022
LEXINGTON, Ky. — Entering its seventh season under head coach Nick Mingione, Kentucky began the fall looking to continue the momentum from the end of last season when it won nine of its last 15 SEC games, including three wins at the SEC tournament, and narrowly missed the 2022 NCAA tournament. UK’s late season success also included a series win against Tennessee which marked the only series loss of the regular season for the Volunteers.
In preparation for another challenging schedule in 2023, which includes 23 games against opponents that made the NCAA Tournament last spring and eight against super regional opponents, Kentucky’s fall goals beyond its normal emphasis on player development included meshing its large portal transfer class with competing every day in practice and squads, and then teaching the group how to win.
The results were impressive with fall scrimmage victories over Xavier and Marshall, in addition to the vast improvements made with individuals. The most improved returning player was hands down James McCoy. The up and coming corner infield/outfield prospect was featured earlier this fall in 2023 MLB Draft: Rising Hitters to Watch. He’s tall, strong and athletic at 6-foot-4, 205 pounds. Against Xavier the switch-hitter doubled and homered, both from the left side. McCoy red-shirted in 2022, batted .302 this summer with Kenosha in the Northwoods League and was then the best player this fall for the Wildcats. He has plus raw power from both sides of the plate and showed an above average arm from third base. He moves better to his left than his right and will need to continue to work to become a complete defender at the hot corner. Currently, he looks the part of a mid-to-early Day Two type of prospect with his athleticism, tools, skills and competitive makeup.
The most pleasant surprise of UK’s highly talented portal class was Charleston Southern transfer Ryan Waldschmidt. The 6-foot-1, 205-pound sophomore outfielder was named to the Big South All-Freshman Team in 2022 after producing a .310/.485/.559 slash for the Buccaneers. The righthanded leadoff hitter reached base five times in the Wildcats’ scrimmage against Xavier and finished the fall as one of the top hitters. A 2024 draft-eligible, Waldschmidt is easily a top 100 college prospect for that draft class.
Ryan Waldschmidt vs Marshall (Grace Bradley | UK Athletics)
Another transfer who had an outstanding fall was former Golden Gopher Chase Stanke. He’s likely to see time at DH, first base and catcher, while hitting in the middle of the lineup. He was on the Buster Posey Watch List early last season, but scuffled at the plate for Minnesota. After a revival this past summer, batting .360 in the California Collegiate League, the lefthanded hitter continued to stroke at the plate this fall. Another mid-lineup thumper for the ‘Cats was Hunter Gilliam, a graduate transfer from Longwood and First Team All Big South selection last spring. The 6-foot-2, 230-pound righthanded hitter showed good power at the plate and agile defense at first base. Also projected to slot somewhere in the 3-4-5 spots of the lineup is athletic catcher Devin Burkes. At 6-foot-2, 210 pounds Burkes has some length to his pull-centric swing, but works with a patient approach and strong bat to ball skills. Last season in part-time action he started 12 games, batting .378 with three home runs and more walks (11) than strikeouts (9).
Devin Burkes, C, Kentucky (Grace Bradley | UK Athletics)
The bottom of the Kentucky lineup will likely slot Jackson Gray, Emilien Pitre, Grant Smith and outfielder Kendal Ewell in some order. The strong, athletic bodied Gray who looks more like an NFL linebacker than a college baseball center fielder, scuffled last season at Western Kentucky, batting just .203, but posted a .363/.461/.592 slash as a sophomore for the Hilltoppers in 2021. Pitre did not see much action last season for Kentucky, but looks to be the likely starter at second base where his defense stands out. His partner up the middle will be Smith, a slick-fielding shortstop transfer from Incarnate Word. Against Xavier he tallied three hits and displayed plus defensive abilities. His average arm strength plays up, showing tremendous carry on his throws across the diamond as he can really backspin the baseball. In three seasons at UIW, Smith batted .297 with 16 home runs and 87 RBI. He was also named First Team All Southland Conference in 2022.
Ewell, a 6-foot-3 righthanded power bat, transferred in from Eastern Kentucky after slugging 14 home runs and receiving First Team All-ASUN honors and was a Golden Spikes semifinalist as a junior in 2022. In the batter’s box he struggles vs spin, but shows plus raw power and the ability to routinely turn around most any fastball. In 111 games at EKU, Ewell batted .333 with 21 home runs.
The most pleasant surprise on the mound this fall was small college (University of the South) transfer Logan Martin. The strong-armed righthander pitched himself into the spring weekend rotation with 25 strikeouts and just six walks in 16 innings this fall. His ability to produce swing/miss with a riding, mid-90s fastball from a three-quarter slot, while spinning a quality slider were the keys to his success. He will also flash an 83-84 mph changeup, but slows his hand prior to release and the pitch is currently more of a show-me, work in progress.
The most improved of the returning pitchers were Austin Strickland and Ryan Hagenow. In addition to their already quality stuff, both right-handers operated with improved presence and confidence on the mound this fall. Other candidates for a rotation spot include left-handers Magdiel Cotto and Tyler Bosma. Cotto only threw four innings this fall and continues to improve after a sophomore season where he struck out 36 in 33 innings. The power-armed lefty runs his fastball into the upper-90s, but must improve his control while developing more consistency with his secondary offerings. Bosma is a finesse southpaw who showed an upper-80s fastball, a low-70s curve and 80-82 mph changeup, all from a lower three-quarter release point against Xavier this fall. He made 10 starts last spring for the ‘Cats, striking out 43 in 41 innings. His most impressive performance came in the SEC tournament when he returned from nagging injuries to throw a one-hitter against LSU in an elimination game.
Despite the losses of Daniel Harper, Sean Harney and Tyler Guilfoil and their 63 combined bullpen appearances, UK will have plenty of back-end options in 2023. Heading to the late innings Seth Chavez will be heavily relied upon, as well as Ryder Giles. Chavez sat out the 2022 season while recovering from TJ surgery at East Tennessee State. The right-hander struck out the side against Xavier this fall with a 91-93 mph fastball and a hammer of a breaking ball.
Seth Chavez, RHP, Kentucky (Ethan Rand | UK Athletics)
Giles made nine starts and 15 appearances on the mound for Super Regional participant East Carolina in 2022. The low slot right-hander finished 4-1 with a 3.27 ERA for the Pirates. Intriguing freshman right-hander Drew Lafferty also looked capable of silencing SEC bats with a lively 92-93 mph heater and hard-biting 73-75 mph curveball (2600+ rpm spin rate) during his one inning of three up, three down against Xavier.
LEXINGTON, Ky. — Entering its seventh season under head coach Nick Mingione, Kentucky began the fall looking to continue the momentum from the end of last season when it won nine of its last 15 SEC games, including three wins at the SEC tournament, and narrowly missed the 2022 NCAA tournament. UK’s late season success also included a series win against Tennessee which marked the only series loss of the regular season for the Volunteers.
In preparation for another challenging schedule in 2023, which includes 23 games against opponents that made the NCAA Tournament last spring and eight against super regional opponents, Kentucky’s fall goals beyond its normal emphasis on player development included meshing its large portal transfer class with competing every day in practice and squads, and then teaching the group how to win.
The results were impressive with fall scrimmage victories over Xavier and Marshall, in addition to the vast improvements made with individuals. The most improved returning player was hands down James McCoy. The up and coming corner infield/outfield prospect was featured earlier this fall in 2023 MLB Draft: Rising Hitters to Watch. He’s tall, strong and athletic at 6-foot-4, 205 pounds. Against Xavier the switch-hitter doubled and homered, both from the left side. McCoy red-shirted in 2022, batted .302 this summer with Kenosha in the Northwoods League and was then the best player this fall for the Wildcats. He has plus raw power from both sides of the plate and showed an above average arm from third base. He moves better to his left than his right and will need to continue to work to become a complete defender at the hot corner. Currently, he looks the part of a mid-to-early Day Two type of prospect with his athleticism, tools, skills and competitive makeup.
The most pleasant surprise of UK’s highly talented portal class was Charleston Southern transfer Ryan Waldschmidt. The 6-foot-1, 205-pound sophomore outfielder was named to the Big South All-Freshman Team in 2022 after producing a .310/.485/.559 slash for the Buccaneers. The righthanded leadoff hitter reached base five times in the Wildcats’ scrimmage against Xavier and finished the fall as one of the top hitters. A 2024 draft-eligible, Waldschmidt is easily a top 100 college prospect for that draft class.
Another transfer who had an outstanding fall was former Golden Gopher Chase Stanke. He’s likely to see time at DH, first base and catcher, while hitting in the middle of the lineup. He was on the Buster Posey Watch List early last season, but scuffled at the plate for Minnesota. After a revival this past summer, batting .360 in the California Collegiate League, the lefthanded hitter continued to stroke at the plate this fall. Another mid-lineup thumper for the ‘Cats was Hunter Gilliam, a graduate transfer from Longwood and First Team All Big South selection last spring. The 6-foot-2, 230-pound righthanded hitter showed good power at the plate and agile defense at first base. Also projected to slot somewhere in the 3-4-5 spots of the lineup is athletic catcher Devin Burkes. At 6-foot-2, 210 pounds Burkes has some length to his pull-centric swing, but works with a patient approach and strong bat to ball skills. Last season in part-time action he started 12 games, batting .378 with three home runs and more walks (11) than strikeouts (9).
The bottom of the Kentucky lineup will likely slot Jackson Gray, Emilien Pitre, Grant Smith and outfielder Kendal Ewell in some order. The strong, athletic bodied Gray who looks more like an NFL linebacker than a college baseball center fielder, scuffled last season at Western Kentucky, batting just .203, but posted a .363/.461/.592 slash as a sophomore for the Hilltoppers in 2021. Pitre did not see much action last season for Kentucky, but looks to be the likely starter at second base where his defense stands out. His partner up the middle will be Smith, a slick-fielding shortstop transfer from Incarnate Word. Against Xavier he tallied three hits and displayed plus defensive abilities. His average arm strength plays up, showing tremendous carry on his throws across the diamond as he can really backspin the baseball. In three seasons at UIW, Smith batted .297 with 16 home runs and 87 RBI. He was also named First Team All Southland Conference in 2022.
Ewell, a 6-foot-3 righthanded power bat, transferred in from Eastern Kentucky after slugging 14 home runs and receiving First Team All-ASUN honors and was a Golden Spikes semifinalist as a junior in 2022. In the batter’s box he struggles vs spin, but shows plus raw power and the ability to routinely turn around most any fastball. In 111 games at EKU, Ewell batted .333 with 21 home runs.
Pitching
On the mound the Wildcats have numerous options for the starting rotation, including seventh-year senior Darren Williams, but they must replace most of their high-leverage relief innings from last spring. The 6-foot-6, 240-pound right handed Williams is the X-factor. He was the Wildcats’ top starter in 2022 posting a 0.93 ERA in 29 innings with 31 strikeouts before succumbing to injury and TJ surgery in April. He’s already back to throwing bullpens this fall and will likely be ready to start the spring season.The most pleasant surprise on the mound this fall was small college (University of the South) transfer Logan Martin. The strong-armed righthander pitched himself into the spring weekend rotation with 25 strikeouts and just six walks in 16 innings this fall. His ability to produce swing/miss with a riding, mid-90s fastball from a three-quarter slot, while spinning a quality slider were the keys to his success. He will also flash an 83-84 mph changeup, but slows his hand prior to release and the pitch is currently more of a show-me, work in progress.
The most improved of the returning pitchers were Austin Strickland and Ryan Hagenow. In addition to their already quality stuff, both right-handers operated with improved presence and confidence on the mound this fall. Other candidates for a rotation spot include left-handers Magdiel Cotto and Tyler Bosma. Cotto only threw four innings this fall and continues to improve after a sophomore season where he struck out 36 in 33 innings. The power-armed lefty runs his fastball into the upper-90s, but must improve his control while developing more consistency with his secondary offerings. Bosma is a finesse southpaw who showed an upper-80s fastball, a low-70s curve and 80-82 mph changeup, all from a lower three-quarter release point against Xavier this fall. He made 10 starts last spring for the ‘Cats, striking out 43 in 41 innings. His most impressive performance came in the SEC tournament when he returned from nagging injuries to throw a one-hitter against LSU in an elimination game.
Despite the losses of Daniel Harper, Sean Harney and Tyler Guilfoil and their 63 combined bullpen appearances, UK will have plenty of back-end options in 2023. Heading to the late innings Seth Chavez will be heavily relied upon, as well as Ryder Giles. Chavez sat out the 2022 season while recovering from TJ surgery at East Tennessee State. The right-hander struck out the side against Xavier this fall with a 91-93 mph fastball and a hammer of a breaking ball.
Giles made nine starts and 15 appearances on the mound for Super Regional participant East Carolina in 2022. The low slot right-hander finished 4-1 with a 3.27 ERA for the Pirates. Intriguing freshman right-hander Drew Lafferty also looked capable of silencing SEC bats with a lively 92-93 mph heater and hard-biting 73-75 mph curveball (2600+ rpm spin rate) during his one inning of three up, three down against Xavier.
