McCarthy Looks Forward To The SEC Challenge At Kentucky

Nolan McCarthy SS / RHP / Portage Northern, MI / 2020

PORTAGE - Admittedly, Kentucky was never an option for Nolan McCarthy.

“I thought about playing in the SEC but I wasn’t that caliber of player until recently,” McCarthy said.

Improved speed and hitting changed that ... and an offer and commitment to UK has followed for the 20th-ranked player in Michigan’s senior class.

“I’m more of a late developer,” the 6-1 181-pounder explained. “This year I’ve developed quite a bit … but I’m not there yet.”

The development has been enough to get interest from colleges such as Michigan State and Cincinnati, schools that McCarthy visited before Kentucky became the front-runner in his recruitment.

“I started talking to them at the end of June,” noted McCarthy, who said Kentucky had seen a video of him. “The head coach (Nick Mingione) asked if I could come to a camp and I played really well. Then a coach (recruiting coordinator Will Coggin) came to a Cincinnati tournament and I played well there, too. I went to another camp and they offered.”

The Portage Northern 2020 did not take long to accept the opportunity to play in the Southeast Conference.

“They think I can play at the SEC level,” McCarthy said of Kentucky. “They really like my swing, I’ve got a good swing with power for my size. If I put more weight on they think I can hit home runs at Kentucky.

“They also like my arm strength and my speed. It’s really dropped a lot in the last year.”

Numbers are proof.