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The exodus continues when it comes to players from the Kentucky baseball program entering the transfer portal.
This time, it comes from a player who played a huge role this last season in starting catcher Coltyn Kessler.
Derek Terry of The Cats Pause reported the news Wednesday.
Kentucky baseball starting catcher Coltyn Kessler is officially in the transfer portal. Kessler led UK in average at .349 and hit seven home runs with 25 RBI. He started all 30 SEC games for the Cats and finished as a Buster Posey Catcher of the Year semifinalist.
— Derek Terry (@DerekSTerry) June 23, 2021
Kessler ended the season as the Cats' top hitter, which is even more impressive since he didn't start the season as the starting catcher for Nick Mingione’s team.
The senior catcher will have one more year of eligibility remaining after the extra COVID-19 year was given this past season. Kessler is also draft-eligible and very well could sign with a professional franchise this offseason. If he does not sign, this move is made to show he will not be back in Lexington.
This past season, Kessler hit .349 with seven home runs and 25 runs batted in. He also held an impressive .439 on-base percentage.
Kessler started 41 of the 46 games played this season, including starting all 30 games in SEC play this season. The Missouri native also ended the season as a Buster Posey award semifinalist.
Kessler becomes yet another player to decide to leave the program after the team missed the NCAA Tournament for the third straight season. With the way things are trending, the team could only return one everyday starter from this past season.
It is shaping up to be another rebuild happening at Kentucky Proud Park next season.