Wildcats baseball loads up: Transfer portal class shoots UK to no. 3 in the nation

Kentucky baseball has completely overhauled its roster through the transfer portal, making seismic moves that have rocketed the Wildcats to No. 3 in the latest 64analytics Top Team rankings. Only Georgia and South Carolina stand above them/ UK’s beast of a haul screams “we’re here to win now.”

Here’s the breakdown of each incoming impact player:

Pitching reinforcements

RHP Jack Bennett (WKU)
A Kentucky native from Paducah, Bennett went 7-1 with a 3.13 ERA over 63 innings, striking out 49 batters while appearing in 14 games in 2025.

Awards:
2025 ABCA/Rawlings All-Midwest Region Second Team
2025 All-Conference USA Second Team
2025 College Baseball Hall of Fame National Pitcher of the Year Midseason Watch List
2025 Perfect Game USA Midseason All-American Third Team

RHP Burkley Bounds (EKU)
As a true freshman from Lexington in 2025, Bounds logged 41 innings across 18 appearances (2 starts), going 2–0 with a 4.17 ERA and 39 Ks.

RHP Kaden Echeman (NKU)
Over 2025 with NKU, Echeman was 3–3 with a 4.34 ERA, 87 strikeouts in 56 innings.

RHP Connor Mattison (GCU)
At Grand Canyon, Mattison logged 41 strikeouts with a 5.40 ERA and a 2-1 record over 2025 in 11 appearances.

RHP Ryan Mullan (LMU)
A reliable reliever, he posted a 3.77 ERA over 45.1 innings with a 4–2 record, ranking seventh nationally in appearances in 2024.

RHP Bryson Treichel (UNF)
Freshman season at North Florida saw him strike out 74 batters in 61.2 innings (4–5, 5.25 ERA) and earn ASUN Freshman All‑Team honors

Bowie behind the plate

C Alex Duffey (Elon)
Duffey delivered a potent .344/.463/.479 slash with 13 doubles, 4 homers, 54 RBI in 2025, earning Second Team All‑CAA honors.

A Look at Infield Depth

INF Tyler Cerny (Indiana)
A swingman at both second base and shortstop, Cerny slashed .281/.903 OPS with 10 homers, 14 doubles, 32 RBI and 53 runs over 55 games.

Building on history

With a 2025 appearance in the Clemson regional, this season marked the first time in program history with three straight NCAA Tournament appearances. That consistency now meets an injection of talent especially in the pitching department where it will be sorely needed.

Pitching Depth & Talent – Six new righty arms, from weekend starters to multi‑inning relievers, give coach Nick Mingione’s staff much needed flexibility. As last year the bullpen was a weak spot giving up several late leads, including blowing 2 5 run leads in a loss to West Virigina.

Offensive Reinforcement – Cerny’s pop, Duffey’s savvy catching, and lineup versatility balance UK’s offensive profile.

Program Momentum – Getting everything going after keeping the core young players is key to continue building a program that threatens every year.

Looking ahead

The mix of experience, local talent (like Bennett and Bounds), and power arms set UK up for a deep postseason run. Mingione was already talking like next year could be a special season, which you can read more about here. Now it looks like he can add more bullet points to that speech.

Associated Press

MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. (AP) — An Argentine not named Messi was the MVP for Inter Miami in the Club World Cup on Saturday night. The star in the tournament opener was goalkeeper Oscar Ustari.

Ustari made eight saves, including on a penalty kick and a goal-line intervention, as Miami played Egypt’s Al Ahly to a scoreless draw in the Group A tournament opener. Ustari’s save of a header in the 33rd minute was second only to stopping Trezeguet’s penalty just before halftime and making sure danger was averted when the ball bounced back to Al Ahly’s forward.

The 38-year-old Ustari returned to a World Cup stage in this new Club World Cup format for the first time since winning the U-20 World Cup in 2005 — with none other than Messi, Inter Miami’s captain.

Before joining Inter Miami, Ustari was captain of Pachuca, also in the tournament, but faced controversy because Grupo Pachuca also owns Club León, which was removed by FIFA and had its appeal rejected by the Court of Arbitration for Sport.

Ustari made 124 appearances with the Tuzos before playing briefly for Audax Italiano in the first division of Chile. He was signed as a free agent in September 2024 by Inter Miami. He has played 22 games, including eight in the CONCACAF Champions Cup.

What Ustari said

“I don’t like to talk about myself. The team did a great job defensively and that is what I most care about.”

“I remember being retired and knew that my return would come on a field, so I’m very happy about it (being back).”

“I thought we were superior, that’s what I think. The game left me with good feelings, but our next rival is very different.”

What Suárez said

“We didn’t think their keeper would make so many saves, he was the key player in the game along with Oscar in the first half, but that shows that goalkeepers can earn you points as well.” — Luis Suarez, Inter Miami forward.

___

AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer

Columbia — The University of Missouri chose a familiar face to navigate an unfamiliar landscape.

On June 2nd, the university announced former assistant coach Tim Fuller will become the first ever general manager of the men’s basketball program.

“I’ve made a lot of stops since my last stint here at the University of Missouri, but (Dennis Gates) offered me the opportunity to come back which felt like I was just coming home.”

Fuller was an assistant for the Tigers from 2011 to 2015. Since then. he has worn a lot of different hats.

Fuller was an executive at Nike and spent time at Overtime Elite which is a basketball league that attracts some of the country’s best young players.

He brings 25 years of experience across coaching, player development, and team building.

“It’s a new day in college basketball,” Fuller said. “As coach Gates and I have sat and spent several days, hours, weeks together, coming up with this plan. It’s been an honor and a privilege.

Like college athletics, the job of a head coach is everchanging. Gone are the days where coaches can focus on just the X’s and O’s.

Developments like the transfer portal, NIL (Name, Image, and Likeness), and last week’s NCAA v. House settlement keep adding new wrinkles.

Fuller’s job is simple: navigate this new age of college athletics…and ease the workloads of the coaches on staff.

“I believe that we are in a place where people like myself that have to study the outside ecosystem will be in a position of making sure that we’re set up to properly evaluate and construct a roster once the transfer portal comes and postseason and we have to fill gaps and holes,” Fuller said.

“With coach Gates, that was important to him,” said athletic director Laird Veatch. “(Gates) wanted to have that kind of role on staff and have somebody that can really help him interact directly with agents and manage those kinds of elements.”

Fuller joins a Mizzou program that has earned a bid to the NCAA Tournament in two of the last three seasons and said he is happy to be back to help continue the progress.

“I’m at this point just ready to serve and just make sure that Mizzou Basketball is covered 360 degrees.”

Check out the video above to learn more!