Kentucky Baseball 2024

[Comebakatz3]

Had a great run in 2023 and it came to an end last night, but we should have a pretty good core group to work with heading into 2024. A lot of guys still have eligibility left, but with the transfer portal and all of that they have a whole lot of options. So, I am going to try to do a breakdown of who we have right now that can return and we will try to adjust as we go on. Please feel free to fix any of my mistakes. I will not get offended. Things get a little dicey to me with the covid year still in play for many.

No eligibility:
Gilliam (1B)
Stanke (C/DH)
Felker (3B)
Gray (CF)
Byars (IF)

Giles (P)
Williams (P)
Bosma (P)

Draft Eligible:
Smith (SS)
Ewell (OF)
Church (DH)
Burkes (C)
McCoy (RF)

Chavez (P) signed with Rays
Strickland (P) signed with Pirates
Cotto (P) signed with Pirates
Hagenow (P)
Martin (P) signed with Royals
Hise (P)
Byers (P)
Lee (P) signed with Tigers
Moore

Departing/Transferring:
Kim
Seth Logue
Reed Gannon
Ewell

*Note that I put those most likely to forgo eligibility in Bold Italics. This just means they are the most likely to and does not guarantee that they will leave.

1B: McCoy (RS), Nicholson, Klein
2B: Pitre
SS: Smith, Applegate
3B: Church, Herrera, Daly
C: Burkes, Fawley
RF: Schramm
CF: McCarthy, Crittenberger
LF: Waldschmidt
DH: Higdon, Paige

Let's talk about this for a second. First things first, this isn't necessarily a true depth chart. So, Ewell being ahead of Schramm is not really an indication of who I think will or won't start. This is mostly about what position I imagine they'd play. I am leaving it a little bare right now because frankly... I don't know who the heck might fill some of these holes. The freshmen are not on the list because where they played in HS is a poor indication of where they might land in college. So, guessing where they will be right now is just outright difficult. I expect UK to hit the portal hard to find a 1B and a C. McCoy is at 1B right now because he has had some time practicing there in the Fall. However, he could move to several positions, possibly third or in the OF. Might depend on what UK gets in the transfer portal. For now, I will stick him at 1B. Church remains interesting to me. Seems to love playing at UK, so I don't think he leaves, but I am also not sure how he can remain overly happy not finding a home defensively, and continuing to almost split time at DH. Ewell is another one that seems like he could be an odd man out character if Schramm lives up to expectations.

Higdon is a JUCO transfer from John A Logan. I would consider him a bit of a utlity type guy as he played 1B, RF and hit DH for them. So, UK has some options with him. He hit .459 with 21 home runs in 2023 through 209 at bats. He struck out a bit more than you probably want to see (51), so UK might work on his approach. He hits lefty, but fields righty, so UK might not want him at 1B, but will probably enjoy having him in the lineup. Could see him and Church do what they did this season with righty/lefty matchups.

Paige is a transfer from Deleware State. 6'0 215 and looks to be built like a brick house. Hit .372 with 14 home runs. Has some speed as he stole 10 bases on 14 attempts. Could possible fill in at 3B as well. He will be a senior.

Daly transferred from Texas. A great defensive player and a great teammate by all accounts. Has not hit the ball overly well. I don't know what UK expects to do with him given that he projects (IMO) as more of a middle infielder and we have that MIF pretty well locked up as far as I can tell. So, I have to guess that he will be looked at mostly for third base.

Friday: Smith, Travis (RS)
Saturday: Moore
Sunday: Niman

I think that these three have locked in pitching on the weekends for the most part. How they will shake out in terms of what days is probably more up in the air. I think Smith has Friday night stuff, so I put him there and think if he continues to progress then he more easily solidifies that role. Lee lately pitched his way into that Friday role, but they may like that he can give them a strong Sunday start as well. Moore seems to fit Saturday pretty well I think merely because he throws a sinker/slider combo and is a bit less overpowering. Still, he also pitched his way to putting his name in for Friday. Either way, I think as long as those three return, they have solid weekend roles.

I have to say, I don't know that we really have any actual 'roles' with relief pitching, so I am not going to try to guess it. More than anything what Roszel has seemingly tried to do is get as much as possible out of every single pitcher. So, we had more long relievers than we really did situational pitching and setup men and closers. So, it will be boring but here is the list:

Hagenow
Frieda
Lafferty
Hayden Smith (LHP)
Blum (LHP)
Hise (RS)
Nove
Byers (RS)
Howe (RS)
Hummel (RS)
Pooser
Niman
O'Brien (RS)
Hogan

**A note here, McCoy saw some time in relief this year with 2 appearances. Applegate is one that has been talked about in the past as also being a potential two-way player. So, we might see one or both of these guys in some spots in 2024.

Hummel is a 6'0 180 pound righty grad student from Division 2 Erskine. He threw 33.1 innings in 14 appearances this season and had a 1.35 ERA. Struck out 62 and walked just 15. He has what is described as a 'lethal' curveball as well as a cutter/slider and a fastball.

Niman, by all accounts, is also a projected starter. The transfer from Central Conneticut State started 15 games this year (13 a year ago) and threw an eye popping 104 innings, an average of almost 7 per start. Keeping with the pitching theme lately, he struck out 94 while walking just 26 (8.13 K per 9). He is a lefty so that is a huge attritube. I will look to move him into that starting role once we get a clearer picture of the UK future after today (7/10).

Here is our list of freshmen that I am aware of:

Hindle (SS)
Small (C)
Skelding (RHP)
Brown (1B)
Bowen (3B)
Cameron (OF)
Cleaver (LHP)
Franklin (SS)
Fugate (RHP)
Gargett (SS)
Hamilton (SS)
Hart (LHP)
Saatman (RHP)
Skowronski (3B)
Titus (RHP)

I honestly do not have enough knowledge to know or guess which ones of these guys will contribute in year 1 at UK. Last year we redshirted all 8 of our freshman. This class is currently ranked 38th and I believe they have some guys that are pretty well thought of Hindle is ranked a 10 on PG. That could make him a candidate to take the 3B position. An interesting part of this is that Mingione and the staff made sure that they made a hard emphasis at the start of the year that the transfer portal was important, but that they really wanted to compliment HS players with the portal instead of relying on the portal heavily. So, will we see that more with this class or will they go out and fill holes with transfer guys? I think I listed 29 players above, so I think UK has plenty of room to give some of these guys some playing time in 2024.

Key:
Freshman
Redshirt Freshman
Sophomore
Junior
Senior
Grad Student
JUCO/Transfer Portal

 

[Tskware]

Awesome job as usual. Smith and Moore could be a really tough set of starting pitchers

 

[briarcreek]

Wow this is awesome. Thanks so much for doing this. The only adds I know of is Trey Paige the 3B/DH transfer from Delaware St and Johnny Hummel RP from Erskine.

 

[Comebakatz3]

Wow this is awesome. Thanks so much for doing this. The only adds I know of is Trey Paige the 3B/DH transfer from Delaware St and Johnny Hummel RP from Erskine.

Thank you sir! I searched to see if I could find some transfer names, thought we had some, but I missed them. If any others pop up, please let me know. I will add those two.

 

[Comebakatz3]

Fixed to add the two I missed and with small writeups about what I could find about them.

 

[backinky2018]

Wow, nice job. I wouldn't try to replicate that work, so appreciate you doing it.

I feel great about our returning pitching. Hope that burkes comes back. I hope we can add some power to the lineup as our lack of it really came back to bite us.

 

[MAYHOO22]

Kim entered the portal. First of a couple I know for sure.

 

[mrschwump]

McCoy, Pitre, Waldschmidt on Cotuit roster on the Cape.

 

[Comebakatz3]

Kim entered the portal. First of a couple I know for sure.

Thank you sir. This is a part that I find interesting at the moment. There are just going to be some guys that might not have the roles that they want, if they have any role at all. So, it will be interesting to see if they stick or if they go. A few that stick out in my mind (note that these are just speculation and thinking out loud and not any indication of what might happen or will happen):

Church - He has just kind of been a bit of an odd man out. He split time at DH, but has seen limited, if any, time defensively. Will he want to go somewhere that he can show off some defense in an attempt to better his stock as a professional prospect?

Hagenow - The second highest rated prospect to come to UK. He has not been necessarily bad, but he's been inconsistent and hasn't quite lived up to the ranking. He will be a senior next year and has not yet cracked the weekend rotation, and has an uphill battle to do so for 2024. Will he want to go somewhere that he can get into that rotation? I think of Wyatt Hudepohl and how he was a reliever that didn't really have an overly clear path to starting and then went to Charlotte and threw 105 innings this year and struck out 129 with a 4.27 ERA and was first team all CUSA. Hagenow might look at something like that and see a path for himself to showcase his skills elsewhere.

Logue - A legacy recruit is going to be a senior. Played a limited role in 2023. Will he stick with UK or will he look to go somewhere else that he can get more reps?

Ewell - Not sure what options he has, but he didn't play much this season and it looks like he could once again be an odd man out for playing OF, especially if Schramm emerges like he possibly could.

These are the ones off the top of my head that kind of have a decision to make. We redshirted 8 freshmen and a lot of times those guys can get impatient. So, we might see some of them feel like they are too far away from meaningful innings, and they could look elsewhere as well. As usual, with the transfer portal things are interesting.

 

[briarcreek]

If Lee does indeed use the extra year that would be our best weekend rotation since at least 2017. I like it when they use a young guy for midweek starts like they did with Smith this year. Could see Lafferty or Hart filling that role.

 

[MAYHOO22]

Keep an eye on these 3 young pitchers as potential mid week guys next year. Lafferty, H. Smith, C. Howe.

 

[briarcreek]

I think Lafferty is spending the summer as a SP with Bethesda of Cal Ripken collegiate league. Same team Pitre played for last summer

 

[Comebakatz3]

If Lee does indeed use the extra year that would be our best weekend rotation since at least 2017. I like it when they use a young guy for midweek starts like they did with Smith this year. Could see Lafferty or Hart filling that role.

I think that is how it should work. Use a freshman or RS freshman that you think can either develop enough that season to be a guy you use in the post season (ala Smith and Thompson) to get you a start when you have to play as many as 5 or 6 games in a weekend. Then you develop the older guys as relievers and you hope to find guys that can give you long relief stints like we saw out of Moore and Strickland and those guys might also be called upon to be the ones to get you a start if needed. We have a lot of midweek candidates next year. It will be interesting to see who can step up to take over the reliever roles during the weekends.

 

[Comebakatz3]

Also, we need to keep an eye on staff changes this summer. As DT has mentioned, there is a rumor that Coggin is a possible candidate for a position on Wes Johnson's staff when he takes over the UGA head coaching role. It would be somewhat of a lateral move, but who knows how much money Georgia is going to be willing to throw towards their baseball team. Have to imagine it is a good chunk given that Wes Johnson was bought by LSU from the Twins organization. Former UK SS Matt Reida has been mentioned as a replacement if this happened. Not sure what kind of relationship that Mingione has with Reida. Reida was a 2011-2014 UK player and Mingione left UK in 2007, well before Reida spent time playing here. However, that doesn't mean that they haven't built a relationship despite not crossing paths at UK at the same time. Also have to imagine that Coach Ammo could get a look at that promotion and then UK look to fill his spot.

As of now I know of no rumors about Roszel, but just based on his success here at UK, I have to imagine that he's grabbing attention. UK has not had what anyone would consider to be a true ace or even a guy that we'd consider to be a top draft pick. Last year Guilfoil had an amazing year and was still just an 8th rounder. Not sure how high the guys will go this year, but it would surprise me if they are gone before the 5th. Either way, he's put together a top 5 SEC staff two years in a row. I haven't looked at stats on that, but it wouldn't surprise me if this was the first time that has ever happened in UK baseball history. So, nothing to scoff at. That being the case, I have to imagine that his name will be kicked around. I know nothing of his aspirations and whether he'd want to take a chance at a HC position or if he has interest in trying his hand at pitching coach at a more prestigious school, so this is just speculation.

 

[SeanCain]

Comebak excellent work as usual. I had high expectations for McCoy but after seeing him play in person several times this year, I just don’t know. He’s got some pop but he gets overpowered quite a bit. I’m not convinced he can be an everyday player. My personal thoughts are we need to find a quality 1B and 3B from the portal. We have to get guys that are home run threats. Might also need one more quality outfielder.

 

[Comebakatz3]

Comebak excellent work as usual. I had high expectations for McCoy but after seeing him play in person several times this year, I just don’t know. He’s got some pop but he gets overpowered quite a bit. I’m not convinced he can be an everyday player. My personal thoughts are we need to find a quality 1B and 3B from the portal. We have to get guys that are home run threats. Might also need one more quality outfielder.

We will see how it goes for McCoy. Players can take a pretty big jump from their first year of playing to their second. Pitre is a good example of this. He played very little a year ago and did nothing to make any of us think that he'd be one of our most clutch hitters, yet he went into summer ball and exploded and then carried that over into the spring. McCoy showed some flashes. He just has to put it all together. I don't think he's necessarily one that we can guarantee will be a lock to be in the lineup next year, so we probably have to find someone to compete with him to be in there, but it wouldn't surprise me at all to see him take a big step forward and to live up to those expectations.

I will also add that if UK adds more power then it can really help up and down the lineup. Having a guy that opposing pitchers fear means that the players around him are more likely to see better hittable pitches as the opposing pitcher tries to avoid facing the big bat(s). So, a guy like McCoy could really benefit from another big bat in the lineup that might allow him to see more fastballs and to get more comfortable at the plate knowing that opposing pitcher can't throw as many off speed pitches.

 

[SeanCain]

Also, we need to keep an eye on staff changes this summer. As DT has mentioned, there is a rumor that Coggin is a possible candidate for a position on Wes Johnson's staff when he takes over the UGA head coaching role. It would be somewhat of a lateral move, but who knows how much money Georgia is going to be willing to throw towards their baseball team. Have to imagine it is a good chunk given that Wes Johnson was bought by LSU from the Twins organization. Former UK SS Matt Reida has been mentioned as a replacement if this happened. Not sure what kind of relationship that Mingione has with Reida. Reida was a 2011-2014 UK player and Mingione left UK in 2007, well before Reida spent time playing here. However, that doesn't mean that they haven't built a relationship despite not crossing paths at UK at the same time. Also have to imagine that Coach Ammo could get a look at that promotion and then UK look to fill his spot.

As of now I know of no rumors about Roszel, but just based on his success here at UK, I have to imagine that he's grabbing attention. UK has not had what anyone would consider to be a true ace or even a guy that we'd consider to be a top draft pick. Last year Guilfoil had an amazing year and was still just an 8th rounder. Not sure how high the guys will go this year, but it would surprise me if they are gone before the 5th. Either way, he's put together a top 5 SEC staff two years in a row. I haven't looked at stats on that, but it wouldn't surprise me if this was the first time that has ever happened in UK baseball history. So, nothing to scoff at. That being the case, I have to imagine that his name will be kicked around. I know nothing of his aspirations and whether he'd want to take a chance at a HC position or if he has interest in trying his hand at pitching coach at a more prestigious school, so this is just speculation.

I think Alabama will take a serious look at their interim coach. I think he was 13-6 down the stretch. Seems like the Bama kids really like him. If he gets the job would Reida stay at Bama? Could Roszel get a call from LSU since they are down a pitching coach?

 

[Comebakatz3]

I think Alabama will take a serious look at their interim coach. I think he was 13-6 down the stretch. Seems like the Bama kids really like him. If he gets the job would Reida stay at Bama? Could Roszel get a call from LSU since they are down a pitching coach?

Alabama is in a good position where they can quietly shop around and see if they can get a big name and if not they can still land on their interim head coach who proved that he could do some good things and turned their season around. I don't know that they will settle for him overly quickly, but it is an interesting situation.

Not sure what Reida would do. I imagine that a draw to come back to UK would be tempting, but Alabama baseball certainly has a stronger history than UK baseball and would probably be a stronger stepping stone to something bigger than UK baseball might be.

I think highly of Roszel, so I think that he surely has to be someone who is considered for some big time openings. He's been at ECU and now at Kentucky and he's shown that his ability to put together staffs is not some fluke. If I am a HC at a big time school, I'd love to see what he can do with the big time talent we bring in and it would be hard to pass on him. Also, to note, from what I am seeing, his contract with UK expires at the end of the month. So, he is essentially on the open market right now. His base pay is $203,000. Johnson, by contrast is paid $380,000 as a base pay at LSU. I believe that Frank Anderson at UT is getting $360,000. So, UK might have to pony up a whole lot to keep him.

 

[Comebakatz3]

I think Alabama will take a serious look at their interim coach. I think he was 13-6 down the stretch. Seems like the Bama kids really like him. If he gets the job would Reida stay at Bama? Could Roszel get a call from LSU since they are down a pitching coach?

Well, probably about the same time I was typing that long response, it appears that breaking news is out that Alabama is likely to hire Rob Vaughn from Maryland. Pretty solid hire right there as Vaughn has taken Maryland to three NCAA tournaments in a row and has 48 wins in 2022 and 42 in 2023. Just 35 years old.

Article also says that they expect to keep the pitching coach Jackson (the interim coach) on as the top assistant. So, it is a huge win/win for Bama.

 

[mrschwump]

Well, probably about the same time I was typing that long response, it appears that breaking news is out that Alabama is likely to hire Rob Vaughn from Maryland. Pretty solid hire right there as Vaughn has taken Maryland to three NCAA tournaments in a row and has 48 wins in 2022 and 42 in 2023. Just 35 years old.

Article also says that they expect to keep the pitching coach Jackson (the interim coach) on as the top assistant. So, it is a huge win/win for Bama.

An oddity re Maryland. Until a few years ago they were only giving something like 7 baseball scholarships while most everybody else was giving 11.7. As an aside, wish the NCAA would boost baseball scholarships to at least 15...20 would be better. Collegiate baseball has really grown, scholarship numbers need to reflect that.

 

[sluggercatfan]

Had a great run in 2023 and it came to an end last night, but we should have a pretty good core group to work with heading into 2024. A lot of guys still have eligibility left, but with the transfer portal and all of that they have a whole lot of options. So, I am going to try to do a breakdown of who we have right now that can return and we will try to adjust as we go on. Please feel free to fix any of my mistakes. I will not get offended. Things get a little dicey to me with the covid year still in play for many.

No eligibility:
Gilliam (1B)
Stanke (C/DH)
Felker (3B)
Gray (CF)
Byars (IF)

Giles (P)
Williams (P)
Bosma (P)

Draft Eligible:
Smith (SS)
Ewell (OF)
Church (DH)
Burkes (C)

Chavez (P)
Strickland (P)
Cotto (P)
Hagenow (P)
Logue (P)
Martin (P)
Hise (P)
Byers (P)
Lee (P)

Departing/Transferring:
Kim

*Note that I put those most likely to forgo eligibility in Bold Italics. This just means they are the most likely to and does not guarantee that they will leave.

1B: McCoy (RS)
2B: Pitre
SS: Smith, Applegate
3B: Church, Herrera
C: Fawley
RF: Ewell, Schramm
CF: McCarthy
LF: Waldschmidt
DH: Higdon, Paige

Let's talk about this for a second. First things first, this isn't necessarily a true depth chart. So, Ewell being ahead of Schramm is not really an indication of who I think will or won't start. This is mostly about what position I imagine they'd play. I am leaving it a little bare right now because frankly... I don't know who the heck might fill some of these holes. The freshmen are not on the list because where they played in HS is a poor indication of where they might land in college. So, guessing where they will be right now is just outright difficult. I expect UK to hit the portal hard to find a 1B and a C. McCoy is at 1B right now because he has had some time practicing there in the Fall. However, he could move to several positions, possibly third or in the OF. Might depend on what UK gets in the transfer portal. For now, I will stick him at 1B. Church remains interesting to me. Seems to love playing at UK, so I don't think he leaves, but I am also not sure how he can remain overly happy not finding a home defensively, and continuing to almost split time at DH. Ewell is another one that seems like he could be an odd man out character if Schramm lives up to expectations.

Higdon is a JUCO transfer from John A Logan. I would consider him a bit of a utlity type guy as he played 1B, RF and hit DH for them. So, UK has some options with him. He hit .459 with 21 home runs in 2023 through 209 at bats. He struck out a bit more than you probably want to see (51), so UK might work on his approach. He hits lefty, but fields righty, so UK might not want him at 1B, but will probably enjoy having him in the lineup. Could see him and Church do what they did this season with righty/lefty matchups.

Paige is a transfer from Deleware State. 6'0 215 and looks to be built like a brick house. Hit .372 with 14 home runs. Has some speed as he stole 10 bases on 14 attempts. Could possible fill in at 3B as well. He will be a senior.

Friday: Smith, Travis (RS)
Saturday: Moore
Sunday: Lee

I think that these three have locked in pitching on the weekends for the most part. How they will shake out in terms of what days is probably more up in the air. I think Smith has Friday night stuff, so I put him there and think if he continues to progress then he more easily solidifies that role. Lee lately pitched his way into that Friday role, but they may like that he can give them a strong Sunday start as well. Moore seems to fit Saturday pretty well I think merely because he throws a sinker/slider combo and is a bit less overpowering. Still, he also pitched his way to putting his name in for Friday. Either way, I think as long as those three return, they have solid weekend roles.

I have to say, I don't know that we really have any actual 'roles' with relief pitching, so I am not going to try to guess it. More than anything what Roszel has seemingly tried to do is get as much as possible out of every single pitcher. So, we had more long relievers than we really did situational pitching and setup men and closers. So, it will be boring but here is the list:

Hagenow
Chavez (RS)
Frieda
Logue
Lafferty
Hayden Smith (LHP)
Blum (LHP)
Martin
Hise (RS)
Nove
Gannon (RS)
Byers (RS)
Howe (RS)
Hummel (RS)

**A note here, McCoy saw some time in relief this year with 2 appearances. Applegate is one that has been talked about in the past as also being a potential two-way player. So, we might see one or both of these guys in some spots in 2024.

Hummel is a 6'0 180 pound righty grad student from Division 2 Erskine. He threw 33.1 innings in 14 appearances this season and had a 1.35 ERA. Struck out 62 and walked just 15. He has what is described as a 'lethal' curveball as well as a cutter/slider and a fastball.

Here is our list of freshmen that I am aware of:

Hindle (SS)
Small (C)
Skelding (RHP)
Brown (1B)
Bowen (3B)
Cameron (OF)
Cleaver (LHP)
Franklin (SS)
Fugate (RHP)
Gargett (SS)
Hamilton (SS)
Hart (LHP)
Saatman (RHP)
Skowronski (3B)
Titus (RHP)

I honestly do not have enough knowledge to know or guess which ones of these guys will contribute in year 1 at UK. Last year we redshirted all 8 of our freshman. This class is currently ranked 38th and I believe they have some guys that are pretty well thought of Hindle is ranked a 10 on PG. That could make him a candidate to take the 3B position. An interesting part of this is that Mingione and the staff made sure that they made a hard emphasis at the start of the year that the transfer portal was important, but that they really wanted to compliment HS players with the portal instead of relying on the portal heavily. So, will we see that more with this class or will they go out and fill holes with transfer guys? I think I listed 29 players above, so I think UK has plenty of room to give some of these guys some playing time in 2024.

Key:
Freshman
Redshirt Freshman
Sophomore
Junior
Senior
Grad Student
JUCO/Transfer Portal

PLEASE find a DH that dosen't have .180 by his name for next year. Not blaming the kid, it's on the staff! Got to find some clutch and power. 3 runs in2 games get you nowhere.

 

[Crazycat68]

Pretty work CB appreciate ya.

 

[maysvilleky]

An oddity re Maryland. Until a few years ago they were only giving something like 7 baseball scholarships while most everybody else was giving 11.7. As an aside, wish the NCAA would boost baseball scholarships to at least 15...20 would be better. Collegiate baseball has really grown, scholarship numbers need to reflect that.

Agree. No reason BB can’t have 18 scholarships at least.

 

[Crazycat68]

If we return these guys and add a few studs we will contend again next year. I have a feeling that Burkes and Strick return next year.

 

[BluegrassBlake]

If we return these guys and add a few studs we will contend again next year. I have a feeling that Burkes and Strick return next year.

I wouldn’t count on it.

 

[Bullpencat]

Looking forward to see Lukas Schramm this fall. He hit the ball really well last fall. He is a big strong dude, excited to see more of him

 

[Crazycat68]

I wouldn’t count on it.

I beleive you mean Burkes and Strick right?
We do have the pieces to win another regional but I want a CWS berth.

 

[TuckyBlue]

CB3 the real MVP. Good stuff. Be interesting who gets drafted/signs and if anyone of note gets poached in the portal

 

[sluggercatfan]

Agree. No reason BB can’t have 18 scholarships at least.

Funny isn't it that every kid at Vandy is on full scholarship I think.

 

[permdaddy]

Thanks for this @Comebakatz3

 

[Comebakatz3]

Funny isn't it that every kid at Vandy is on full scholarship I think.

It's not so much that every player has a full ride as it is that their needs based scholarships afford them the ability to better utilize the baseball scholarships they have. Say for instance that they want a player whose family is well off. They may offer a full. Then a family who isn't well off, their kid gets needs based and might get a full ride or most paid for. They can get both players. While UK might have to try to convince the rich kids family that he should take a partial scholarship so that they can have enough to get other players, such as the one from the less privileged family.

 

[briarcreek]

@Derek Terry @Seamhead_Ninja Are either of you hearing anything on players coming or going in the transfer portal?

 

[BluegrassBlake]

@Derek Terry @Seamhead_Ninja Are either of you hearing anything on players coming or going in the transfer portal?

Tanner Kim entered the portal.

 

[SeanCain]

Well, probably about the same time I was typing that long response, it appears that breaking news is out that Alabama is likely to hire Rob Vaughn from Maryland. Pretty solid hire right there as Vaughn has taken Maryland to three NCAA tournaments in a row and has 48 wins in 2022 and 42 in 2023. Just 35 years old.

Article also says that they expect to keep the pitching coach Jackson (the interim coach) on as the top assistant. So, it is a huge win/win for Bama.

Looks like Bama had no intention of hiring their pitching coach as the head coach. I don’t know about you guys but if I do a good job as interim and the administration has zero intention of hiring me, I’m not sure I would stay around.

 

[Tskware]

Agree. No reason BB can’t have 18 scholarships at least.

Would have to add some scholarsships in women sports but 6 or 7 would not be hard to add somewhere.

 

[dtjr]

Tanner Kim entered the portal.

Anyone else enter yet?

 

[BluegrassBlake]

Anyone else enter yet?

Not that I know of. I doubt there will be a mass exodus but I’m sure a few more will leave.

 

[Comebakatz3]

Not that I know of. I doubt there will be a mass exodus but I’m sure a few more will leave.

Feels like there are a few that don't yet have established possible roles so they could look for a spot elsewhere if they don't think they can/will crack the lineup. I'll talk about them, but I must emphasize that these are just my thoughts and just speculation and I have absolutely zero indications on what these players might be thinking and what decision they might take. I'm sure that if any of them read this they might have their eyes roll out of their heads, but hey... what's a discussion board for if it isn't for things like this!?

Applegate - Seems to be a middle infielder. Possibly could move to third. Also can pitch. So, he has options, but the key here is that the middle is pretty much closed right now. Pitre is locked at second and if he returns Smith is locked at SS. There is little to nothing that will change that unless those two just fall apart. So, Applegate to play in the field would have to try to play at third or try some outfield. That isn't out of the question. He could also be content to play his first actual year as a pitcher and then as a backup and pinch runner. Knowing that he will likely have 2nd or SS locked down in 2025. Still, have to think that he is one that is possible, but don't think it's likely he transfers. Might depend on how quickly he wants to progress through college baseball.

Herrea - Similar to Applegate. Herrera could play third and I think that the staff looked at him there, but he had some illness that really hurt his development in the fall and he lost a lot of weight. He was just 170 when they made the roster. That just ain't going to cut it in this league. So, he could stick around and put that weight back on and try for third and maybe lock that down, or he might try to look elsewhere that he knows he will get a middle infield look. He was very lightly used this year despite being largely available and didn't really even feature as a pinch runner much.

Church - A bit of an oddity. He hasn't shown a ton of power and hasn't really been a feature defensively. Came into his own a bit more this season hitting .286. One thing I also notice with his stats is that he didn't really hit a ton of extra base hits either. Just 3 in 91 at bats (for comparison, Stanke had 3 in 67 at bats and was hitting just .179) So, I think if Church wants to play professionally he has to prove to scouts that he can either hit for more power and get more extra base hits, or he has to prove that he has defensive ability to go along with being able to hit for average. Right now he hasn't shown that he can be a highly valuable DH that oppponents fear and he hasn't shown off tools defensively. So, can he find a home at somewhere like 3rd base next year or will he be competing again for a DH spot? UK brought in Higdon who looks like he could fill one of those roles, so will that partially leave out Church? Don't know, but that could be cause for him to look elsewhere.

Ewell - Had his chance to find a spot in the outfield this season and just didn't perform. Has shown the ability to do so in the past, but didn't find it this season. Big guy that could provide some much needed power and also some good athleticism. Still 2 of the 3 outfield positions are largely locked in. McCarthy is likely in center (IMO) and Waldy is locked into left. Right field is open, but Schramm seems like he has an open door to get there. McCoy is a possibility to steal an OF spot if we find a different 1B. So, Ewell will have to take a step forward in order to push his way into that lineup. He could also DH, but that is going to be a spot where there is just spill over from other positions and he would likely have to do some work to lock that down. Especially, again, with Higdon coming in. I am not sure what options he has having already transferred, but if possible, it might not be out of the question that he looks to find more PT elsewhere.

Pitching is a bit tougher because it is hard to know who might be having a bit of tired arms or who might be just behind or what. Still, I'll take a stab.

Hagenow - Right now, barring any changes, the weekend rotation looks like it might be clear with Moore, Lee, and Travis Smith. So, is Hagenow content to be the guy that continues coming out of the bullpen? He will likely get plenty of use that way, but it seems most likely that his best path to success moving forward is to get into a starting rotation. He could still get there by being more consistent and also if say Lee happened to jump to the draft. Still, Martin is likely to return and he'd then be competing with Martin for that role as well.

Martin - I am hesistant to include him in this because I think it is less likely than some of the others. Still, the reason I put him here is because he had 1 bullpen appearance. Now, I don't know if that is because that is a role that he was not overly comfortable with or if UK just didn't need him to fill that role or what. If it is a role he's not as comfortable in then his options here are a bit more limited if the three starters mentioned above all pan out. Then again, they could conceivably also just stack him with someone like Moore, who we know is comfortable in those long relief and high pressure situations.

Logue - A legacy guy, so his ties to UK are deep, but he will be a senior next season and he just hasn't quite progressed at a great rate so far. Had limited appearances this year and one start. Not likely to start next year. Could come back and essentially be another arm, but without some improvement he isn't likely to be one of those big time feature guys who the staff leans on heavily, especially on the weekends.

Frieda - Not sure what happened with him. Could be an injury, could just be that he wasn't a major part of the plan. Regardless, his last appearance was May 9 against Tennessee Tech and he only had 8 appearances on the year. Contrast that with Byers, a redshirt sophomore, who had 24 appearances. Or even contrast it with redshirt freshman Howe, who while only having 6/7 appearances got 3 of those after May 12th, all against SEC opponents. So, he may have been injured, but if not, then it seems like they ramped him down in favor of Howe.

Nove - This one seems like one of the lesser likely ones. Not sure what happened to him in the last month or so, but his last appearance was against Florida in May 29th. Not really a long time ago in the baseball sense, but the point there is that he was not really a focus in those high pressure situations and when UK seemed to somewhat shrink the pitching rotation. I mean, let's be honest... if I am a healthy pitcher and UK is in a regional up 10-0 in an elimination game and rather than go to me they decide to go to a position player (McCoy - no offense to him), then I'd be a bit miffed. A chance to pitch in a regional is special and in a game we have well in hand, it would be frustrating to not get that chance. That being said, I have to emphasize that he might have had an arm issue that kept him out. May have also been that knowing UK had 2 possible games left that they wanted to keep him in case they needed him. Still, not getting that opportunity at all in the post season has to be frustrating for a guy who threw 18 times this year.

Gannon - Don't know what was up with him. Injured? There is no mention of it on the UK site. So, don't know. So, assuming he's not (which is a big assumption) then it has to be concerning for him that as a redshirt freshman that he got no mound time. Already burned the redshirt, so sitting out this year (if not injury) is an indication that he just might not be ready for this stage. So, he might look elsewhere to compete. Still, my real assumption here was that he was likely injured and didn't play for that reason.

Hise - Just don't really see a role for him moving forward if there isn't a good chunk of improvement. Had a chance to get a starting spot and wasn't able to show the stuff needed to lock it down. Hasn't pitched since the beginning of May. Don't know if he had additional arm issues after coming off a surgery in 2022, or if they just weren't comfortable with him in the weekend role given that he had an ERA of 7.11. Again, with a transfer under his belt already, I am not sure what options he has to do it again, but he might want a reset. Then again, as mentioned, the arm injury could have been holding him back and he may rebound and blow the expectations out of the water in 2024.


I think that is everything I can think of right now. Again, these are just me thinking out loud and no indication of what will or can or even might happen. I certainly don't think all of these go. Just seem like the most likely candidates if any people do decide to transfer.

 

[Comebakatz3]

In terms of what UK needs:

Catcher. I think this is priority one. I don't know much about Fawley, but regardless, he is the only catcher on the roster right now. Eli Small is a catcher and they could see him coming in and playing a role, but realistically, this staff lately hasn't shown a big propensity to play freshmen early on if they can help it. So, I expect they look to at least add one portal catcher.

First - McCoy can play here, but I think that UK might feel more comfortable finding someone with a better defensive track record than McCoy and at least let them compete for there and let McCoy compete for right. Higdon, I think could be a candidate there, but I think he slates more as a DH than anything else.

Third - No great candidates here right now. So, woudln't surprise me to see them try to find someone to fit in there in case others don't progress and work out.

OF - Right field has candidates, but no one established themselves there fully. UK needs more power. That could come from Schramm, or come from some transfer. Wouldn't surprise me to see us add some depth there. We could also try to find a more speedy OF who would then cover more CF and allow McCarthy to roam right where he has that cannon.

Relief - I think UK will look to try to find someone they can rely on heavily in relief. Another Williams type. I don't think they take much in terms of pitching as they have a lot available still, but there are a chunk of arms that really just haven't seen a lot of action to this point. So, they might want some more experience in that bullpen.

 

[dtjr]

Feels like there are a few that don't yet have established possible roles so they could look for a spot elsewhere if they don't think they can/will crack the lineup. I'll talk about them, but I must emphasize that these are just my thoughts and just speculation and I have absolutely zero indications on what these players might be thinking and what decision they might take. I'm sure that if any of them read this they might have their eyes roll out of their heads, but hey... what's a discussion board for if it isn't for things like this!?

Applegate - Seems to be a middle infielder. Possibly could move to third. Also can pitch. So, he has options, but the key here is that the middle is pretty much closed right now. Pitre is locked at second and if he returns Smith is locked at SS. There is little to nothing that will change that unless those two just fall apart. So, Applegate to play in the field would have to try to play at third or try some outfield. That isn't out of the question. He could also be content to play his first actual year as a pitcher and then as a backup and pinch runner. Knowing that he will likely have 2nd or SS locked down in 2025. Still, have to think that he is one that is possible, but don't think it's likely he transfers. Might depend on how quickly he wants to progress through college baseball.

Herrea - Similar to Applegate. Herrera could play third and I think that the staff looked at him there, but he had some illness that really hurt his development in the fall and he lost a lot of weight. He was just 170 when they made the roster. That just ain't going to cut it in this league. So, he could stick around and put that weight back on and try for third and maybe lock that down, or he might try to look elsewhere that he knows he will get a middle infield look. He was very lightly used this year despite being largely available and didn't really even feature as a pinch runner much.

Church - A bit of an oddity. He hasn't shown a ton of power and hasn't really been a feature defensively. Came into his own a bit more this season hitting .286. One thing I also notice with his stats is that he didn't really hit a ton of extra base hits either. Just 3 in 91 at bats (for comparison, Stanke had 3 in 67 at bats and was hitting just .179) So, I think if Church wants to play professionally he has to prove to scouts that he can either hit for more power and get more extra base hits, or he has to prove that he has defensive ability to go along with being able to hit for average. Right now he hasn't shown that he can be a highly valuable DH that oppponents fear and he hasn't shown off tools defensively. So, can he find a home at somewhere like 3rd base next year or will he be competing again for a DH spot? UK brought in Higdon who looks like he could fill one of those roles, so will that partially leave out Church? Don't know, but that could be cause for him to look elsewhere.

Ewell - Had his chance to find a spot in the outfield this season and just didn't perform. Has shown the ability to do so in the past, but didn't find it this season. Big guy that could provide some much needed power and also some good athleticism. Still 2 of the 3 outfield positions are largely locked in. McCarthy is likely in center (IMO) and Waldy is locked into left. Right field is open, but Schramm seems like he has an open door to get there. McCoy is a possibility to steal an OF spot if we find a different 1B. So, Ewell will have to take a step forward in order to push his way into that lineup. He could also DH, but that is going to be a spot where there is just spill over from other positions and he would likely have to do some work to lock that down. Especially, again, with Higdon coming in. I am not sure what options he has having already transferred, but if possible, it might not be out of the question that he looks to find more PT elsewhere.

Pitching is a bit tougher because it is hard to know who might be having a bit of tired arms or who might be just behind or what. Still, I'll take a stab.

Hagenow - Right now, barring any changes, the weekend rotation looks like it might be clear with Moore, Lee, and Travis Smith. So, is Hagenow content to be the guy that continues coming out of the bullpen? He will likely get plenty of use that way, but it seems most likely that his best path to success moving forward is to get into a starting rotation. He could still get there by being more consistent and also if say Lee happened to jump to the draft. Still, Martin is likely to return and he'd then be competing with Martin for that role as well.

Martin - I am hesistant to include him in this because I think it is less likely than some of the others. Still, the reason I put him here is because he had 1 bullpen appearance. Now, I don't know if that is because that is a role that he was not overly comfortable with or if UK just didn't need him to fill that role or what. If it is a role he's not as comfortable in then his options here are a bit more limited if the three starters mentioned above all pan out. Then again, they could conceivably also just stack him with someone like Moore, who we know is comfortable in those long relief and high pressure situations.

Logue - A legacy guy, so his ties to UK are deep, but he will be a senior next season and he just hasn't quite progressed at a great rate so far. Had limited appearances this year and one start. Not likely to start next year. Could come back and essentially be another arm, but without some improvement he isn't likely to be one of those big time feature guys who the staff leans on heavily, especially on the weekends.

Frieda - Not sure what happened with him. Could be an injury, could just be that he wasn't a major part of the plan. Regardless, his last appearance was May 9 against Tennessee Tech and he only had 8 appearances on the year. Contrast that with Byers, a redshirt sophomore, who had 24 appearances. Or even contrast it with redshirt freshman Howe, who while only having 6/7 appearances got 3 of those after May 12th, all against SEC opponents. So, he may have been injured, but if not, then it seems like they ramped him down in favor of Howe.

Nove - This one seems like one of the lesser likely ones. Not sure what happened to him in the last month or so, but his last appearance was against Florida in May 29th. Not really a long time ago in the baseball sense, but the point there is that he was not really a focus in those high pressure situations and when UK seemed to somewhat shrink the pitching rotation. I mean, let's be honest... if I am a healthy pitcher and UK is in a regional up 10-0 in an elimination game and rather than go to me they decide to go to a position player (McCoy - no offense to him), then I'd be a bit miffed. A chance to pitch in a regional is special and in a game we have well in hand, it would be frustrating to not get that chance. That being said, I have to emphasize that he might have had an arm issue that kept him out. May have also been that knowing UK had 2 possible games left that they wanted to keep him in case they needed him. Still, not getting that opportunity at all in the post season has to be frustrating for a guy who threw 18 times this year.

Gannon - Don't know what was up with him. Injured? There is no mention of it on the UK site. So, don't know. So, assuming he's not (which is a big assumption) then it has to be concerning for him that as a redshirt freshman that he got no mound time. Already burned the redshirt, so sitting out this year (if not injury) is an indication that he just might not be ready for this stage. So, he might look elsewhere to compete. Still, my real assumption here was that he was likely injured and didn't play for that reason.

Hise - Just don't really see a role for him moving forward if there isn't a good chunk of improvement. Had a chance to get a starting spot and wasn't able to show the stuff needed to lock it down. Hasn't pitched since the beginning of May. Don't know if he had additional arm issues after coming off a surgery in 2022, or if they just weren't comfortable with him in the weekend role given that he had an ERA of 7.11. Again, with a transfer under his belt already, I am not sure what options he has to do it again, but he might want a reset. Then again, as mentioned, the arm injury could have been holding him back and he may rebound and blow the expectations out of the water in 2024.


I think that is everything I can think of right now. Again, these are just me thinking out loud and no indication of what will or can or even might happen. I certainly don't think all of these go. Just seem like the most likely candidates if any people do decide to transfer.

Excellent synopsis and I can't disagree with any of it really although I can see Hagenow being stretched out this summer to get into the mix as a starter.