Nolan McCarthy: The sky is the limit for Kentucky baseball

Kentucky baseball’s season ended in Omaha for the first time in program history this season, falling short of its ultimate goal of winning a national championship.

While UK’s stay at the College World Series wasn’t how center fielder Nolan McCarthy envisioned, the redshirt junior believes this is only the beginning for the Bat ‘Cats under head coach Nick Mingione.

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“The freshmen who were locked in every pitch, bought in,” McCarthy said. “With a group that doesn’t buy in it’s not going to work, you’re not going to get into Omaha. With a group that buys in and listens to Coach Ming, the guidance he gives us, they’ll be just fine. The guys will be fine.

“Coach Cousey is one of the best recruiters out there. He’s going to get the talent. If everyone buys in, the sky is the limit for this program. You saw it; we could have won it all.”

McCarthy has a decision to make following the conclusion of Kentucky’s season. He could either return to Lexington for his final year of eligibility in 2025 or head to the 2024 MLB Draft later this summer.

On the field, he helped sustain success throughout the season for the Wildcats in 2024. Ranking sixth on the team in batting average, McCarthy batted .288 this season across 58 games played (56 starts). During that stretch, he tallied 57 hits, 43 runs, 41 RBIs and 21 extra-base hits including eight home runs.

At the end of the day, McCarthy can hang his hat on being a vital piece of Kentucky’s historic efforts this season.

“Getting here for sure just broke the barrier. Looking around at our staff, we just have guys bought in,” McCarthy continued. “Ammo doesn’t get talked about a whole lot, but he’s one of the smartest baseball minds I’ve ever been around. He completely changed everything about my baseball career swing-wise. He can get the iPad on you before a game and just tell you exactly what’s wrong with your swing.

“And just the incredible minds we have behind the program that go, not unnoticed but aren’t talked about as much, I think that’s the special part.”

Kentucky ultimately finished 46-16 this season, logging the most wins in UK baseball program history, including a 22-8 conference record and the first-ever SEC regular season championship in program history. Now, Kentucky heads into the offseason with heaps of momentum. It’s up to them to keep that success riding into 2025 and beyond under head coach Nick Mingione.