Kentucky hiring Wright State's Chase Slone as assistant
The Wildcats' new hitting coach was hired on Sunday to replace Nick Ammirati
Wright State associate head coach Chase Slone has accepted the hitting coach position at the University of Kentucky, the school announced on Sunday. Slone played at Wright State and has been on the Raiders’ staff since 2020 and became the hitting coach in 2021. He replaces Nick Ammirati, who left Kentucky on July 1 to become an assistant at the University of Georgia.
Over 100 coaches reached out about the job in some capacity, according to sources, but Slone adds more youth to the coaching staff. Slone, 28, will be one of the youngest coaches in the SEC next year. He agreed to a two-year deal.
“Chase is a perfect fit for Kentucky Baseball,” UK coach Nick Mingione said in a press release. “He’s extremely intelligent, innovative and has played a pivotal role in one of the nation’s most effective and opportunistic offensive attacks. We are thrilled to welcome him to the UK baseball family and the Big Blue Nation.”
The following information comes from Slone’s Wright State bio page.
“The 2021 season was Slone’s first year as the hitting coach for the Raiders. In 2021, the Raiders led the nation in Batting Average, On-Base Percentage, Slugging Percentage, and Scoring at 10.5 runs per game. The Raiders were also second in the nation in Runs, fourth in Doubles, seventh in Walks, ninth in Strikeout-to-Walk Ratio, 16th in Stolen Bases, and 20th in Home Runs. The Raider offense broke the single season Wright State records for Batting Average (.339), Slugging Percentage (.579), On-Base Percentage (.447), Runs (502), Home Runs (78), RBI (456), Strikeouts (443).
“In Slone’s second year at Wright State in 2022, the Raiders broke a single-season school record in home runs (81). Gehrig Anglin tied a single-season home run record with 16 on the season. Outfielder Alec Sayre earned Horizon League Player of the Year honors and was selected in the 17th round of the 2022 MLB Draft by the Minnesota Twins… In 2023, Slone coached the Raider offense to top-50 national offensive marks in sacrifice flies (5th, 39), doubles (9th, 141), triples (18th, 20), and stolen bases (24th, 110) while finishing just outside the top 50 in walks (52nd, 302) and runs scored (57th, 441).”
In 2024, Wright State hit .312 and hit 112 home runs, shattering the previous home run record of 81. Wright State hitters reached base at a .413 clip and had a .557 slugging percentage.
"Chase is a major part of this program. He was a talented player here and he has become an invaluable part of this program," head coach Alex Sogard told Wright State Athletics. "Over the last four and a half years, he has meant a lot to our organization and his impact on our student-athletes is second to none. His ability to connect and develop our players is part of what makes him special. He is an outstanding person that is also such a great baseball mind. I am excited to see the continued impact he will have on our program, and he has earned the opportunity to be our new associate head coach."
Kentucky’s 2025 coaching staff
Nick Mingione (head coach)
Dan Roszel (assistant coach/pitching)
Austin Cousino (assistant coach/recruiting coordinator)
Chase Slone (assistant coach/hitting coach)
Trevor Fitts (Director of Player Development)
Brock Doud (Director of Operations)
This is great news for UK baseball!