Kentucky Baseball Transfer Portal Tracker: Cats Add Texas Infielder Mitch Daly

Kentucky Baseball Transfer Portal Tracker: Cats Add Texas Infielder Mitch Daly

Kentucky baseball's historic 2023 campaign came to a close in Baton Rouge, as the Wildcats fell to LSU in just their second-ever Super Regional appearance.

As summer ball gets underway, so does roster construction season. Entering the middle of June, over 2,200 players are in the transfer portal. 

UK head coach Nick Mingione excelled in using the portal ahead of the 2023 season, bringing in 12 players, many of whom were vital parts of the Cats' success. Will he follow a similar pattern this offseason? 

Below is a transfer portal tracker, following who's in and who's out for the Bat Cats. The portal opened on May 30 and will close on July 13.

IN (4)

INF Trey Paige, Delaware State

Paige had committed to play for Penn State, but head coach Rob Cooper resigned from his post as the Nittany Lions' skipper last week after 10 years in State College. As a result, Paige de-committed and landed in the Bluegrass.

The infielder slashed an impressive .372/.468/.691 for the Hornets this season. He hit a career-high 14 home runs to go along with 15 doubles and two triples, leading to a career-high 53 RBIs. He drew 34 walks and struck out only 30 times while also stealing 10 bags.

It's the third season in a row he's hit over .360 and had an on-base percentage of at least .460. Paige was named the 2022 MEAC Player of the Year after hitting .407 to go with a .507 OBP and .756 slugging percentage. He was also a First Team All-MEAC selection in 2021.

Across four seasons and 154 games at DSU, he's a career .354/.449/.593 hitter with 46 doubles, 32 homers and 138 RBIs. He's accumulated more walks than strikeouts in each of his last three seasons.

Defensively, Paige owns a career .938 fielding percentage and just had a season-high .964 percentage in his last season as a Hornet. He can play all over the infield as well as corner outfield. 

OF Ty Crittenberger, Western Kentucky

Crittenberger announced that he is transferring to UK for his final season, following the footsteps of former UK center fielder Jackson Gray, who made the same jump from Bowling Green to Lexington last offseason

Kentucky will be the fourth and final stop for the Lighthouse Point, Fla. native. After redshirting at Central Florida as a freshman, he transferred to Polk State Junior College in Winter Haven, Fla., where he slashed .297/.348/.484 in 17 games.

Crittenberger joined WKU in 2021 and proceeded to play 143 games across three seasons, making 127 starts. He flourished in 2023, playing 57 games, slashing .314/.400/.454 with 16 doubles, two triples and four home runs. Driving in 31 runs and stealing 20 bases. The CF batted leadoff and collected 23 multi-hit games for the Hilltoppers this season. 

In his three seasons at WKU, Crittenberger hit .289, reached base at a .379 clip and owned a .423 slugging percentage. He's swiped 32 bags, tallied 64 RBIs and hit nine home runs. 

Defensively, he's accumulated 325 putouts while making nine errors, good for a .973 fielding percentage. 

RHP Trey Pooser, College of Charleston

Pooser is also headed to Lexington for his final season after four years with College of Charleston. 

The Hanahan, S.C. native was a two-time All-State selection in high school, then made the quick trip to Charleston, where he proceeded to make 50 appearances — 36 of which were starts — on the mound across four campaigns. 

After pitching just three times as a freshman in the COVID-shortened 2020 season, Pooser made 10 starts in 14 outings, where he managed a 4-2 record and a 4.67 ERA across 61.2 innings. He struck out 43 and walked 11, earning All-CAA Second Team honors.

He appeared in 18 games the next season, lowering his ERA to 3.92, winning five games while losing two. He fired 62.0 IP and found a career-best .270 opponent batting average, setting the table for a breakout 2023.

Pooser was a workhorse for the Cougars in his fourth year, hurling 86.1 IP in 15 games, all of which were starts. His 7-3 record was accompanied with a 3.65 ERA and season-high 75 Ks. Only two of his starts lasted less than 5.0 IP. 

For his career, he owns a 3.93 ERA and a 17-7 win-loss record across 220.0 IP. He has a 2.88 K-BB ratio, striking out 179 while walking 62. Pooser carries a low-90s fastball, a breaking ball and a changeup that hovers around the low 80s. 

INF Mitch Daly, Texas

After three seasons as a starter in Austin, middle infielder Mitch Daly is making the jump from Texas to Kentucky. 

The Madison, Ala. native took the Big 12 by storm as a freshman in 2021. Slashing .316/.413/.416 in 61 games, 59 of which he started, Daly collected 66 hits, including 15 doubles and a pair of home runs. He drove in 31 runs and stole eight bases. As a result, he was named First Team All-Big 12 and selected to the Collegiate Baseball Freshman All-America second team. 

That would be the best offensive season for the 6-foot-1, 193-pounder. As a sophomore, his numbers dropped to .237/.351/.367, though he drove 37 runs and collected four homers. His power numbers ticked up again this season, as he belted seven four-baggers, though is batting average slipped to .231 and his OBP down to .323. 

For his career, he's slashing .262/.364/.395. Daly's defense, however, is the highlight of his game. 

Across his three seasons — two at second base, one at shortstop — Daly owns a .974 fielding percentage. He's recorded 236 putouts, 505 assists and has made just 20 errors. He'll join forces with Rawlings Gold Glove Award finalist shortstop Grant Smith and second baseman Émilien Pitre, creating a stalwart trio of defenders in the middle of the park. 

OUT (4)

OF Tanner Kim

Kim is in the portal after two seasons at Kentucky. Ranked as the No. 23 player in Tennessee in the 2022 class by Prep Baseball Report, he didn't play in either year for the Cats, redshirting in 2022. 

The 6-foot, 180-pounder out of Knoxville, Tenn. played infield and outfield at Farragut High School. 

OF Kendal Ewell

The Calumet City, Ill. native, who transferred in from Eastern Kentucky following the 2022 season, played in just 14 games for the Wildcats, slashing .189/.333/.216. He tallied seven hits, one RBI and one stolen base, striking out 17 times while drawing seven walks.

Ewell was one of 55 players named to the 2023 Golden Spikes Award preseason watch list. He was a semifinalist for the award in 2022 following a breakout year with the Colonels, in which he hit .361 with a .482 OBP.

He hit 14 home runs and totaled 51 RBIs that season, earning First Team All-Atlantic Sun honors. The 6-foot-3, 210-pounder was also an Ohio Valley Conference All-Freshman Team selection in 2021. He has one year of eligibility remaining. 

LHP Reed Gannon

The Minooka, Ill. native began his career recovering from elbow surgery and redshirted in 2022, then made one appearance in 2023, facing three batters in a midweek win over Dayton, in which he walked two and hit one, allowing an earned run in the process.

Standing 6-foot-3, 185 pounds, Gannon was the No. 5 overall player in Illinois his class, per Prep Baseball Report. He pitched for the Kinosha Kingfish in the Northwoods League in the summer of 2022, allowing four runs in 7.1 innings. 

RHP Seth Logue

Logue is in the portal after three seasons at Kentucky, in which he appeared in 38 games, nine of which were starts. 

As a freshman in 2021, he had 12 outings, allowing 11 runs in 14.0 innings, striking out 24 while walking 12. In 2022, he was the Wildcats' main midweek starter, toeing the slab eight times while also making four appearances out of the bullpen. He hurled 34.0 IP, allowing 32 runs on 41 hits, striking out 44. 

He manned a low-leverage bullpen spot as a junior this season and made just one start, totaling just 13.0 IP in 12 appearances. For his UK career, he owns a 3-4 win-loss record and a 7.23 ERA in 61.0 IP with 85 Ks and 31 BBs. 

Logue played at Archbishop Moeller High School near Cincinnati alongside current Wildcat RHP Austin Strickland. He is the brother of former Wildcat and current big-leaguer Zach Logue. 

This tracker will be updated.

How Division-III roots are pushing Jackson Gray to the finish line in a special season HERE.

Roommates, Kentuckians, Brothers: More on Darren Williams and Mason Moore HERE.

The King of Work: More on catcher Devin Burkes and his MVP honors HERE.

Game recap of Kentucky's Regional-clinching win can be found HERE.

How getting hit in batting practice helps Kentucky HERE.

How hard conversations molded RHP Austin Strickland HERE.

Want the latest on national football and basketball recruiting, including Cats targets? Head over to SI All-American for the latest news, blogs, and updates about the nation's best prospects.

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