Hudson Brown will return to Kentucky for redshirt junior season

The 2026 college baseball season still has super regionals and the College World Series to get through but roster-building for 2027 is already off and running. This offseason’s only transfer portal window opened on Monday. Perhaps the biggest pieces of news for the program this offseason arrived on Saturday morning and had nothing to do with the portal.

Retention can be king in college athletics. Kentucky is getting a huge piece of the team back in 2027. Hudson Brown will play another season for the Bat Cats.

Big news, #BBN:

HUDDY ISN'T GOING ANYWHERE! @HBrown2318 returning to Lexington for the 2027 season. pic.twitter.com/KNfgLSrB4a

— Kentucky Baseball (@UKBaseball) June 6, 2026

“After many prayers and thoughtful consideration I have decided I will be returning to Kentucky,” Brown said in a release. “The support from my coaches, teammates, family, friends and BBN means the world to me and I’m grateful for the opportunity to continue to grow on and off the field. I am looking forward to helping this team compete at the highest level.”

The 6-foot-6 and 220-pound first baseman will be a redshirt junior with two years of eligibility remaining in 2027. The Southaven (Miss.) Northpoint Christian product slashed .333/.475/.553 with 12 doubles, seven home runs, 39 RBI, and 44 free passes across 200 plate appearances this season. Those numbers would’ve been much better if not for a 12-game absence that included three SEC series and two games against Louisville. After his return to the lineup, Brown found the power button. The left-handed bat was 12-44 (.273) with five home runs and 11 RBI over the final 13 games of the season. That slugging could become very valuable for Kentucky baseball in 2027.

Some other key draft decisions still need to be made. The 2026 MLB Draft will take place from July 11-12. Hudson Brown is ready to make a commitment now. Kentucky is getting a key middle of the order bat back in 2027.

Pump It Up: Offseason Mode

There have been multiple Kentucky staff hires and some surprising transfer portal departures since the 6-5 extra innings loss to West Virginia on Monday night. What could be next? Another episode of “Pump It Up” returns to set the stage for a big offseason.

• Takeaways from Morgantown
• What could Kentucky have done different in the late innings?
• Final thoughts on the 2026 season
• What must happen this offseason for the 2027 team to take a step forward
• Much more

Smash that play button.

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