Recruiting notebook: Kentucky on tear through the Midwest

Following a commitment from righthanded pitcher Aiden Smith, a top 100 recruit, Kentucky finished the week with three verbals from the Hoosier State.

Photo by Eddie Justice of UK Athletics

Righthanded pitcher Aiden Smith, a top 100 recruit in the 2026 class according to Prep Baseball Report, announced his commitment to Kentucky on Sunday, capping off a loud week for the Wildcats in nearby Indiana.

Smith, ranked No. 71 nationally by PBR and sixth-best in Indiana, joined Rob Czarniecki (No. 44 nationally in 2026) and Will Coleman (No. 390 in 2025) as commitments from the Hoosier State in the past five days. Kentucky, riding momentum from its first trip to the College World Series, is pushing aggressively for the top players in the Midwest.

With Smith and Czarniecki on board, along with top 150 prospect Sammy Swank, who’s been committed to the Wildcats since December 2022, Kentucky now has commitments from the No. 1, 6 and 8 prospects in Indiana according to PBR. It’s on track to easily be the best group Kentucky has brought in from Indiana since the 2016 class, which former assistant Brad Bohannon recruited under then-head coach Gary Henderson. That 2016 class featured future first-round pick Zack Thompson and power-hitting TJ Collett.