Rawlings Gold Glove 1B Stephen Klein commits to Kentucky

Kentucky added to its 2024 baseball roster this week with a Rawlings Gold Glove Award winner.

Stephen Klein, a first baseman from Samford who entered the transfer portal earlier this month, committed to the Wildcats over Florida State. Klein did not commit an error during the 2023 season and was perfect on all 444 chances he had at first base, leading to the prestigious gold glove honor.

Klein played in 112 career games over the past two seasons at Samford. The Metairie, Louisiana, native batted .309/.452/.512 with 67 hits, 16 doubles, two triples and eight home runs with 41 runs batted in during the 2023 season. He has one year of eligibility remaining.

After a long process, I’m blessed to announce I will be continuing my college baseball career at the University of Kentucky. I want thank God, my family and coaches throughout this process. Time to roll UK!
Gods plan. pic.twitter.com/gYIjmjKiiw

— StephenKleinJr (@stephen_kleinjr) July 17, 2023

With Klein committed, Kentucky could play a lineup that features the best defensive infield in all of college baseball.

Shortstop Grant Smith was a Rawlings Gold Glove Award finalist after recording a .988 fielding percentage in 2023. Emilien Pitre, the Wildcats’ starting second baseman, was named Second Team All-SEC and joined former first baseman Hunter Gilliam on the SEC All-Defensive Team. Texas transfer Mitch Daly will also compete for a starting spot in the infield, likely at third base, and finished with a career .974 fielding percentage in three seasons with the Longhorns.

Klein is the third transfer commitment in the past few days for Kentucky. On Wednesday, Campbell right-handed pitcher Cameron O’Brien joined the fold. He was followed by a commitment on Friday from Cincinnati infielder Ryan Nicholson.

O’Brien is a 6-foot-5 right-hander with a 5.54 ERA in 37.1 innings of work in 2023. He struck out 40 batters as opponents hit .241 off of him. O’Brien appeared in a career-high 17 games this past season but started eight games as an opener for the Camels.

O’Brien could be a power pitcher out of the bullpen for the Wildcats. His fastball typically operates anywhere from 91-95 miles per hour and he throws a curveball and slider as well. One of the areas the Wildcats’ coaching staff hopes to improve is O’Brien’s command. He walked an average of 3.7 batters per nine innings in 2022 and around five batters per nine innings in 2023.

Nicholson, who played first base at Cincinnati, should provide pop in the middle of the order. The Louisville native batted .294 (63-for-214) with 16 home runs, 15 doubles, two triples, 41 RBI and 41 runs scored in 55 games played last season. Nicholson will compete for the first base spot but can also play other positions, such as outfield or designated hitter.