Kentucky Baseball's recent end in the NCAA Tournament left a sour taste in the mouth of many parties within the Big Blue Nation, and can you blame them? This year's Bat Cats fell on just about every end of the competitive spectrum.
From being ranked in the preseason and jumping out to a scorching 18-3 start, to then collapsing and barely squeaking into the postseason, only to win two straight and then lose two more, Nick Mingione's squad was all over the place. About the only reliable facet is that we'd have no concrete idea as to how they'd look on a game-to-game basis.
Ultimately falling to West Virginia on the cusp of a Super Regional, Mingione is officially back to the drawing board, and the pressure is on to produce a more successful product this time around. Thankfully, the Cats' coach just made a massive stride in that direction.
First reported by Derek Terry on X, Rider starting pitcher PJ Craig has committed to Kentucky. The Bat Cats just got a whole lot better, in spite of a bout of recent transfer portal exits.
PJ Craig is a Game-Changing Commitment
As was noted by Terry in his post, Craig went 9-3 with a 3.59 earned run average this past season. The right-handed pitcher was names First Team All-MAAC, too, in the wake of pitching two complete games.
With over 250 innings throughout his career and coming off his best campaign yet, Kentucky is getting a guy at the absolute top of his game. In the postseason, a place in which the Cats struggled, Craig allowed just 6 runs in 23 innings. He's got an unmatched motor.
After completing a visit on Thursday, Rider right-handed pitcher PJ Craig committed to Kentucky, per source. Craig went 9-3 with a 3.59 earned run average. He was named First Team All-MAAC this year after posting nine quality starts and two complete games.
— Derek Terry (@DerekSTerry) June 12, 2026
This is Mingione addressing a serious problem for the Wildcats, and about as early in the offseason as you could've asked him to. A great sign that, hopefully, leads to more similar successes down the road for the Bat Cats.
A Great Early Sign
In a perfect world, Kentucky would be able to diagnose and fix every ailment from the up-and-down season that's still currently haunting the baseball program. That won't happen (without a miracle), but the bullpen was easily one of the most popular sticking points for the Wildcats in their 2025-26 run.
That's why we'll certainly take this win, and then some. At the very least, Kentucky has a surefire rotational asset for this coming season, and in landing him, Mingione has cooled the hot water around his position in a little in the meantime.
With a few more additions like this one, I believe a lot of the BBN would be willing to file last year's struggle as an anomaly. We'll hold our breath as the offseason continues to progress.
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