USC INF transfer Nick Lopez commits to Kentucky

University of Southern California infielder Nick Lopez announced on social media on Monday that he’s transferring to Kentucky. Lopez hit .278/.346/.463 with 93 hits, 23 doubles, 13 home runs and 60 runs batted in over two seasons at USC. Lopez likely projects as a corner infielder or possible designated hitter for the Wildcats.

A native of Santa Ana, California, Lopez began his career at Illinois-Chicago in 2020 before transferring to Santa Ana Community College and then to USC. He has one year of eligibility remaining.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Nicholaus Dimitri Lopez (@dimitri.lopez_)

Lopez provides another solid option at the plate for Kentucky, though his defensive position could be determined by how other players perform leading up to the season. The Wildcats have transfers from two likely first basemen – Samford transfer Stephen Klein and Cincinnati transfer Ryan Nicholson – and could play Texas transfer Mitch Daly at third base. It’s possible that senior infielder Reuben Church, who’s primarily been a DH at Kentucky but has made starts at third base, could also factor into the defensive mix. The Wildcats are returning one of the country’s best defensive middle infielder combinations in shortstop Grant Smith and second baseman Emilien Pitre.

Portal additions for Kentucky baseball

— UTIL – Nick Lopez (USC)
— RHP – Robert Hogan (Texas A&M)
— RHP – Johnny Hummel (Erskine College)
— RHP – Trey Pooser (College of Charleston)
— LHP – Dominic Niman (Central Connecticut)
— Infielder – Mitch Daly (Texas)
— CF – Ty Crittenberger (Western Kentucky)
— 1B – Stephen Klein (Samford)
— 1B/DH – Ryan Nicholson (Cincinnati)