Kentucky RHP Travis Smith talks transfer to Mississippi State

It has been an eventful last few years for Kentucky RHP Travis Smith and that won’t stop within the next few weeks.

After helping Kentucky to its first ever trip to the College World Series, the talented hurler entered the transfer portal. Mississippi State would be the choice for Smith on Saturday as he announced for the Diamond Dawgs over heavy interest from Ole Miss and several other SEC schools.

A trip to Starkville last week sealed the deal as he saw the sights and heard all he needed to hear from pitching coach Justin Parker.

“I wanted to get a new start and fresh scene to go to and there is no better fresh start than Mississippi State,” Smith stated. “The facilities are unreal. I’ve never played in it. but I’ve seen it on tv and always heard about it and the fans are amazing. I got a chance to tour the whole campus and see the baseball field. We saw downtown and ate at some great restaurants and the people there were just so kind.”

Smith’s journey to Starkville has had ups and downs

Smith has had in interesting few years to say the least. Initially a draft possibility out of high school, the Walton, Ky., native had a roadblock. Smith would go through not one, but two major surgeries as he dealt with heart issues and also tore his UCL in his elbow.

Those obstacles did not deter him from getting back on track as the former First-Team All-State performer was back on the mound as a redshirt freshman in 2023.

After starting in 13 games, Smith had a 4-3 record with a 4.84 ERA, 39 strikeouts and 24 walks in 44.1 innings. His best game came against South Carolina when he pitched 6.0 innings, gave up four hits and one run and earned SEC Freshman of the Week honors.

Smith took over the Friday starter role this year for the Wildcats but struggled early. After starting the first five weekends of the season and surrendering 18 earned runs, Smith was pushed into a different role in the bullpen.

It was there where things began to fall into place for the talented righty. With the exception of a five-run appearance against Tennessee, Smith finished the season surrendering just three runs in seven of the final eight ball games despite having battled another injury.

He was 3-4 on the year with a 6.21 ERA, but it didn’t tell the story of his effort out of the pen. His final appearance came in the Wildcats’ season-ending loss in Omaha against Florida where he threw a scoreless inning and struck out two batters. He 33 strikeouts on the season in 37.2 innings with 22 walks. Even with the ups and downs, he thought it was a dream season for he and his teammates helping take the Wildcats to the first CWS in school history.  

“It was unreal. Being from Kentucky, everybody said it was a basketball school, but having the last two years that we had, it’s good for the state of Kentucky. All of the fans have really started to rally around that program,” Smith said.  

“I had a lot of opportunities and unfortunately an injury sidelined me a little bit throughout the season. I’m feeling healthy and getting back to it. When I was healthy, I felt like I was unhittable and one of the best in the league.”

Smith possesses a 4-seam fastball that sits in the mid-90s and touched 98 earlier this year. He also has a changeup, curveball and slider and has been talking with Parker about developing a sinker.

He prides himself in being able to get soft contact and ground balls that allows his defense to work behind him. Strike throwing is something that he plans on improving when he gets to Starkville and he trusts that Parker can help him mechanically.  

“Coach Parker reached out and there was immediate interest in both sides,” Smith said of the Bulldog pitching coach. “He showed me what he wanted to do with me and what I could do to help and coach Lemonis was with him on that.

“He’s really happy with what he has now and what he’s getting in for our pitching staff. He has a plan for everybody and it’s not really cookie cutter. He wants me to get some more strikes and make some mechanical changes. His track record was awesome. I did some research it I felt like it was a great decision for me. It’s in the numbers – he changes people.”

The caveat to Smith’s signing is that he still has to wait out the MLB Draft.

The Bulldogs have a draft risk on their hands with the projectable Smith and it’s something that he’s weighing out for the next two weeks. Smith feels like he’s put himself in good position no matter what happens.

“Having committed to Mississippi State, I can get the weight of the college part off of my shoulders,” Smith said. “I won’t make a decision on the pro part until the day of the draft. Plan A is to sign if the offer is right, but if not, I will be in Starkville the next week.”

Smith is State’s seventh new addition out of the transfer portal. He joins fellow pitcher in Indiana State’s Jacob Pruitt as well as 3B Gehrig Frei, SS Sawyer Reeves, 1B/RHP Noah Sullivan, 1B Reed Stallman and OF Ace Reese.