Cavaliers Now

Report: Virginia Pitcher Cullen McKay Enters Transfer Portal

Matt Newton

Cullen McKay reacts during the Virginia baseball game vs. Boston College at Fenway Park.
Cullen McKay reacts during the Virginia baseball game vs. Boston College at Fenway Park. / Virginia Athletics

Virginia baseball has its first roster casualty of the offseason. Three days after the Cavaliers saw their season ended at the College World Series, UVA sophomore right-handed pitcher Cullen McKay has reportedly entered his name into the transfer portal.

A 6'1" righty from Norfolk, Virginia, McKay was the No. 5 overall recruit from the state of Virginia in the class of 2022 according to Perfect Game, which also rated him as the No. 38 right-handed pitcher in the country coming out of high school. McKay had a promising freshman campaign for the Cavaliers in 2023, posting a 3.78 ERA in 10 total appearances and seven starts. That season saw McKay record 26 strikeouts to just nine walks in 16.2 innings pitched, including a two-inning outing with zero earned runs allowed against Army in an NCAA Tournament game.

With each of Virginia's three core starters leaving the team following the 2023 season, McKay was primed for a big role in the starting rotation in his sophomore season. For nearly the first two months of the 2024 season, McKay was indeed a starter for the Cavaliers, starting ACC games against Miami, Wake Forest, Pittsburgh, Duke and North Carolina.

But he struggled with command, giving up seven earned runs to Wake Forest and six to Duke. McKay returned to the bullpen, but continue to have difficulties getting into a rhythm. An outing on May 8th against George Washington in which he pitched two-thirds of an inning ended up being his final appearance in a Virginia uniform, as he did not pitch in any of UVA's last 15 games of the season.

For the season, McKay logged seven starts and 13 total appearances, posting a 2-1 record, an 8.45 ERA and 39 strikeouts to 28 walks in 33.0 innings pitched.

Cullen McKay enters the transfer portal with two years of eligibility remaining.

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Matt Newton

MATT NEWTON

Managing Editor and Publisher, CavaliersNow Email: mattnewton@virginia.eduTwitter: @mattynewtssWebsite | LinkedIn | Instagram Matt Newton is the managing editor and publisher at CavaliersNow. He has been covering UVA athletics since 2019 and has been the managing editor at CavaliersNow since launching the site in August 2021. Matt covers all things UVA sports, including Virginia basketball and football news and recruiting, former Wahoos in the pros, and coverage of all 23 of the NCAA Division I sports teams at the University of Virginia. A native of Downingtown, Pennsylvania, Matt grew up a huge Philadelphia sports fan, but has also been a UVA sports fanatic his entire life thanks to his parents, who are alums of the University of Virginia. Matt followed in his parents' footsteps and attended UVA from 2017-2021, graduating with a degree in Media Studies and a minor in Economics in May of 2021.