Former Texas starting infielder Mitch Daly transferring to Kentucky
Already an excellent defender, Daly will look to re-establish what made him one of the top freshmen in the country in 2021.
Former Texas infielder Mitch Daly is transferring to Kentucky. Daly, a native of Madison, Alabama, was a three-year starter at Texas and played on two teams that made the College World Series. He started in 171 games and played in 189 games overall, with most of his starts in his first two seasons coming at second base before moving to shortstop as a junior in 2023.
An excellent defensive middle infielder at Texas, Daly gives Kentucky three players who could realistically play shortstop, joining Rawlings Gold Glove finalist Grant Smith and starting second baseman Emilien Pitre. Kentucky’s already outstanding defense – the Wildcats finished the season tied for first nationally in fielding percentage with Oral Roberts at .984 – will be bolstered even more with this addition. Between those three, Kentucky could fill the third base, shortstop and second base positions.
Daly, who visited Kentucky this week and committed shortly after, comes to Kentucky hoping to regain the offensive form from his freshman season. He started 59 games in 2021, hitting .316/.413/.416 overall and .356/.430/.494 in conference play, with nine doubles and a home run. He reached base safely in 54 of 59 games. That production led to numerous postseason awards, including the All-Big 12 first and All-Freshman teams.
However, his numbers declined by this past season. Daly is coming off a year where he hit .231/.323/.403 overall and .130/.244/.217 in the Big 12 with just a 30 wRC+.
The splits from his freshman to his junior season are extreme, but there’s reason for optimism that Kentucky’s coaching staff can identify the issues that might’ve plagued Daly. The Wildcats’ 2023 starting center fielder Jackson Gray saw his slash line drop from .361/.458/.589 as a junior at WKU to .203/.312/.399 as a senior. This past year, Gray bounced back and produced the best offensive season of anyone on Kentucky’s roster. He hit .338/.491/.543 with six homers and 33 RBI and posted a wRC+ of 150.
Daly could be a case of a player just needing a change of scenery. If Kentucky can tap into what made him successful offensively as a freshman, it could have landed one of its most essential pieces on the 2024 roster.
Daly is Kentucky’s fifth portal commitment so far. He joins Deleware State utility player Trey Paige, WKU outfielder Ty Crittenberger and right-handed pitchers Trey Pooser and Johnny Hummel.