Kentucky baseball adds third transfer in RHP Trey Pooser

Nick Mingione is attacking the transfer portal once again this offseason.

On Monday night, College of Charleston transfer Trey Pooser announced through social media that he has committed to the Kentucky baseball team. The right-handed pitcher spent the first four seasons of his college career with the Cougars before entering the portal. Pooser will have one more year of eligibility remaining.

During his senior year in 2023, Pooser was named to the Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) All-Tournament Team after throwing six innings of one-run ball in an elimination win over William & Mary. The South Carolina native made 15 appearances throughout the season as Charleston’s Saturday starter, finishing with a 7-3 record while posting 75 strikeouts and an ERA of 3.65 across a team-high 86.1 innings pitched.

Proud to say I’m gonna be a Wildcat next season!! I appreciate @Coach_Mingione and his staff for providing me this opportunity!! Go Cats! @UKBaseball pic.twitter.com/ER7nkvDhcT

— Trey Pooser (@PooserTrey) June 19, 2023

Pooser is the third transfer addition for Mingione so far this year, joining outfielder Ty Crittenbeger (Western Kentucky) and third baseman Trey Paige (Delaware State).

This past season, Crittenberger posted a .314 batting average across 57 games played for the Hilltoppers. He recorded 72 hits (second-most on the team) and four home runs while successfully stealing 20 bases out of 23 attempts. Crittenberger also recorded a slugging percentage of .400 and an on-base percentage of .454 this past season. He’ll join another former WKU player on the UK roster, centerfielder Jackson Gray, who transferred to the ‘Cats last offseason.

As for Paige, he initially committed to Penn State in the portal before backing off that decision due to a coaching change with the Nittany Lions and later landing with the Wildcats in May. The rising fifth-year senior slashed .372/.468/.691 for the Hornets and belted a career-high 14 home runs in 2023.

Kentucky has already lost a handful of players to the portal this offseason, although none were considered significant contributors in 2023. A handful of ‘Cats from this past season could have the opportunity to begin their professional careers this summer, as well. Reloading the roster through the portal once again might be a necessity for Mingione if the program wants to maintain momentum heading into 2024.