Kentucky Baseball Notebook: Injuries, New Assistant

Kentucky Baseball has dealt with the injury bug since the 2023 season ended. According to a source, senior shortstop Grant Smith will have surgery on his hip this week. Left fielder Ryan Waldschmidt is being evaluated for a knee injury he sustained while playing with Cotuit in the prestigious Cape Cod Baseball League. Waldschmidt is expected to return to Lexington this week for further evaluation. 

Smith, who transferred to Kentucky from Incarnate Word, has a year of remaining eligibility because of the COVID-19 pandemic waiver that granted every player in 2020 an additional year. He’s expected to return to Kentucky for the 2024 season, but he’ll spend most of the fall rehabbing and is expected back in time for the season opener. 

Waldschmidt hit .290/.427/.445 with 14 doubles, five home runs, and 37 runs batted in as a sophomore. A transfer from Charleston Southern, Waldschmidt is viewed as one of the best draft prospects on the roster for the 2024 MLB Draft. In his April update, Joe Doyle of the Future Star Series had Waldschmidt ranked as the No. 44 draft-eligible player in 2024. 

“At the plate, there’s sneaky raw power here and Waldschmidt makes a lot of contact,” Doyle wrote. “He’s a good blend of polish and punch at the dish. He’s also a threat on the basepaths. This is a well-rounded player who could stick up the middle and be an asset while on base. He’s got a shot at becoming a top-three-round guy.” 

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Trevor Fitts hired as Director of Player Development 

Kentucky’s coaching staff has seen some change this offseason, both on the field and behind the scenes. Head coach Nick Mingione hired former Kentucky star Austin Cousino as the recruiting coordinator to replace Will Coggin, and he also promoted former volunteer assistant Nick Ammirati to a full-time position. Because of an NCAA rule passed in January allowing three full-time baseball assistants, Ammirati became an official on-field coach on July 1. 

But there was also a change off the field. Director of Player Development Jake Scott left his position at the end of June to pursue opportunities outside of college baseball. Scott, who played a significant role in evaluating high school and transfer portal talent in recent years, will be replaced by former Mississippi State pitcher Trevor Fitts. Fitts’ hiring has not yet been finalized by the university. 

Fitts comes to Kentucky after a short stint as the associate pitching coach with the West Michigan Whitecaps, the High-A affiliate of the Detroit Tigers. Fitts, originally hired as the pitching coach, served as the interim head coach for Austin Peay University in 2022. He played collegiately at Mississippi State from 2012-15.

Fitts should have quite a bit of familiarity with Kentucky’s current staff. Mingione was an assistant at Mississippi State when Fitts was a player. He was a college teammate with Ammirati and worked in the same professional organization as Cousino. 

In addition to his time with the Tigers and Austin Peay, Fitts also served as a volunteer assistant at South Alabama and Jacksonville State.