Mattison, Adcock Selected on Day Two of MLB Draft
Kentucky right-handed pitchers Nile Adcock and Connor Mattison were selected on the final day of the 2026 MLB Draft, bringing the total number of Wildcats picked to four over the two-day, 20-round event.
Mattison was selected in the 16th round by the Minnesota Twins and Adcock taken by the Atlanta Braves in the 20th and final round.
Mattison, a junior from Goodyear, Arizona, finished the 2026 season with a 2-2 record and 8.10 earned run average over 14 appearances (six starts). He pitched 36.2 innings, allowing 43 hits and striking out 37. He was forced into starting duty midway through the season as several teammates battled injuries. Mattison also is well known for tossing a no-hitter as a freshman at his previous school before he transferred to UK.
Adcock, a senior from Pinckneyville, Illinois, became the Wildcats’ most trusted and indispensable leverage reliever as the season progressed. He finished the season 5-1 with two saves in 24 appearances. He struck out 50 in just 36.0 innings and allowed only three home runs. In his two seasons with the Cats he struck out 12.5 batters per nine innings, the fourth best rate in program history.
TOP RECRUIT WITHDRAWS FROM DRAFT
Grayson Willoughby, a prep right-hander from national and state champion Trinity High School in Louisville, Kentucky, withdrew from the draft and announced his intention to attend UK.
Willoughby was considered one of the top prospects in the draft. He was MaxPrep’s National High School Pitcher of the Year, the Kentucky Gatorade Player of the Year and Kentucky Mr. Baseball.
SIGNEES DRAFTED
UK had four signees selected in the draft, including two high school stars: Junior college All-American IF Jimmy Anderson (5th, Baltimore), IF Robert Omidi (8th, Detroit), transfer LHP Cooper Corkrean (18th, Kansas City) and IF/RHP Matt Ponatoski (18th, Cincinnati). Ponatoski also is expected to play football if he attends school.
LAWRENCE SIGNED
UK senior infielder Luke Lawrence signed an undrafted free agent contract with the Chicago White Sox, the team he grew up rooting for on the south side of Chicago suburbs.
