Kentucky Baseball not present in Preseason Top 25 Rankings

Kentucky Baseball will open the 2025 season outside of the Top 25 once again as the Cats were not present in either Perfect Game or D1Baseball’s Preseason Top 25 Rankings.

This is not new territory for Kentucky, who entered both 2023 and 2024 seasons unranked. Over that span however, the Cats are 86-37 overall (eighth best winning percentage in NCAA). Kentucky finished the 2023 season ranked No. 17 and 2024 season ranked No. 3 in D1Baseball’s Final Rankings, just behind Men’s College World Series finalists Texas A&M and Tennessee.

The Wildcats lost a large chunk of production from last year’s record-breaking team, including standouts outfielder Ryan Waldschmidt, second baseman Émilien Pitre, first baseman Ryan Nicholson, starting pitcher Trey Pooser, starting pitcher Mason Moore, and relief pitcher Johnny Hummel. Nick Mingione’s team returns just two offensive starters returning from 2024 (outfielder James McCoy and catcher Devin Burkes) and three experienced pitchers (left-handers Jackson Nove and Evan Byers and right-hander Robert Hogan).

Although alot of experience was lost, the Wildcat staff did a great job in the Transfer Portal filling in those spots. Over the offseason, Mingione and his staff hauled in the ninth best transfer class in the country and won big by retaining incoming freshman phenom Tyler Bell, who was selected with the No. 66 pick in the 2024 MLB Draft.

Although the Cats will open yet another season without a number next to their name, Mingione’s teams have dominated in the early season for two consecutive years. Kentucky has gone a combined 29-5 against non-conference competition prior to conference play since 2023, which has garnered Top 25 recognition by that point in both seasons.

If this recent run of play by this ballclub has shown us anything, it’s that they like to play with a chip on their shoulder. Kentucky opens the 2025 season on February 14 on the road at Lipscomb.