UK baseball program gets commitment from nation’s No. 1-ranked junior college recruit

The University of Kentucky baseball team picked up a major recruiting victory Friday night with the commitment of right-hander Jackson Rutledge, a former Arkansas pitcher who is currently ranked as the top junior college prospect in the country.

Rutledge — a 6-foot-8 righty from St. Louis — was 3-0 with a 3.45 ERA in 12 appearances (and two starts) for the Razorbacks this past season before transferring to San Jacinto (Texas) in the spring. He’ll play the 2019 season in the juco ranks and wouldn’t get to UK until next fall.

That would put him on path to play for the Wildcats in 2020, though he could still opt for the 2019 MLB Draft and head straight to the pros after this coming season.

Rutledge is ranked as the No. 1 overall juco prospect in the country, according to a recent list from PrepBaseballReport.com. He was a top 200 national recruit out of high school, and he’s also a high school teammate of current UK player Coltyn Kessler.

Rutledge has been clocked with a 97 mph fastball this fall and possesses a plus-slider, according to PrepBaseballReport.com.