Bat 'Cats lose two to transfer portal as offseason turnover begins

To almost nobody’s shock, the offseason ferris wheel that is the transfer portal is well in motion even while the NCAA tournament rages on. D1Baseball is reporting that Kentucky Baseball catcher Kirk Liebert and relief pitcher Wyatt Hudepohl officially put their names into the transfer portal. On3 has since been able to confirm the news.

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Today's update brings the Transfer Tracker over 1700 names ⤵️ https://t.co/lsT4i9peI2

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Liebert, an Owensboro, KY native, had a decent amount of buzz on him coming into the 2022 season. It looked as if the Northwoods Summer League All-Star in 2021 was set up to be a key cog in what Kentucky was doing this past season. It didn’t pan out as the catcher struggled to catch on at the plate, and given the logjam behind the dish, Kentucky experimented with putting Liebert in the outfield but that came with limited success.

Due in part to his .219 average and nearly 40% strikeout rate, he only saw four starts after the end of March and was fazed out of nearly all action besides occasional pinch-hit attempts.

In more of a shocker, Hudepohl’s leave gives the ‘Cats some more questions in the bullpen. It’s not as if they’re losing some All-American type player, however. The 6-4, 220-pound reliever has posted mixed results in his two years at Kentucky. The potential was always easy to see, but the numbers have simply been too disappointing to gloss over.

The sophomore had a 7.48 ERA in just over 27 innings of work while also walking 20 batters. Hudepohl was someone that you would like to keep around to see how his progression goes and what he can turn into, but it’s someone that they can replace somewhat easily with a portal addition.

These two were the first to go, they almost certainly won’t be the last. There are sure to be more players entering the portal as the days and weeks go by.