The new hitting coach for Nick Mingione has been found.
Chase Slone, the hitting coach at Wright State, was formally hired by Kentucky on Sunday as an assistant coach.
He will take over as hitting coach in place of Nick Ammirati, who departed earlier in July to become a member of Georgia’s coaching staff.
Mingione stated in a news release that “Chase is a perfect fit for Kentucky Baseball.” “He is highly creative and bright, and he was a key player in one of the most successful and opportunistic offensive campaigns in the country. We are delighted to have him join the Big Blue Nation and the UK baseball family.”
Slone attended Wright State (2018–19), Dyersburg State Community collegiate (2017), and Southern Illinois (2015) during his collegiate baseball career.
As a shortstop, he was named to the First Team of the Horizon League in 2018 and the Second Team of the Horizon League in 2019, which helped Wright State qualify for the NCAA Tournament.
Prior to the 2021 campaign, Slone was elevated to a full-time position as the program’s hitting and infield coach after volunteering to assist with coaching at Wright State in 2020.
Wright State topped the country in batting average, slugging, on-base percentage, and scoring in his first season as the Raiders hitting coach. Quincy Hamilton, a fifth-round 2021 draft pick and current Houston Astros prospect, won Horizon League Player of the Year.
Wright State broke its school record for the most home runs in a single season in 2022, and Alec Sayre was the recipient of another Horizon League Player of the Year award.
The single-season home run record at Wright State was shattered by Andrew Patrick in 2023, and the Boston Red Sox selected shortstop Justin Riemer in the fourth round of the MLB Draft.
Slone kept his position as hitting coach but was elevated to associate head coach prior to the 2024 campaign.
Tenth in the country in terms of scoring (9 runs per game), ninth in terms of slugging % and home runs per game, 16th in terms of batting average, and 17th in terms of total runs was the 2024 Raiders offensive.
Once more, the Raiders surpassed the school record for single-season runs scored (75) and RBIs (112) in addition to breaking the single-season home run record (112).
In total, Slone contributed to the production of six MLB draft selections in three years, including Tyler Black, who helped lead Wright State to three NCAA Tournament berths and made his MLB debut with the Milwaukee Brewers earlier this season.
Now, he is headed to the SEC to lead a Kentucky attack that, despite losing only two regular players from the previous lineup—catcher Devin Burkes and right fielder James McCoy—finished 33rd in the nation in runs scored and 14th in stolen bases last season.
Although Mark Pope, the new coach at Kentucky, has filled 12 of his 13 scholarships, the good times are far from over.
As they start assembling their class of prospective 2025 hires this summer, Pope and the other UK employees have their eyes firmly focused on the future.
After hosting over 30 prospects on official visits last month, Mark Stoops and company are on fire when it comes to recruiting. As a result, the Wildcats’ 2025 class is ranked among the top 20 in the country thanks to a recent wave of commitments. And they’re still not finished. Not by a long stretch.
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