Gavin McGee did not spend months agonizing over his college decision. Three days after Division I programs were allowed to contact recruits on August 1, the former Roncalli High School pitcher announced his commitment to Kentucky, becoming the first player in the Wildcats' 2028 recruiting class.
According to Yahoo Sports, the process started before McGee ever received a phone call from a coach. His late pitching coach Jay Lehr sent McGee's pitching video to the Kentucky staff, which led to a camp invite last winter. At that camp, McGee was throwing up to 90 miles per hour. His velocity kept climbing through the spring and summer.
During a start at Grand Park, McGee struck out 11 over six innings and threw his 100th pitch of the outing at 92 mph. Then on July 25, at the Prep Baseball Future's Game, he touched 94 with his fastball and threw the hardest pitch at the event by nearly two miles per hour over the next-closest pitcher.
On the first day of the recruiting window, McGee had a 9 a.m. call with Kentucky head coach Nick Mingione. That was followed by a conversation with pitching coach Dan Roszel that McGee said felt natural and open. A second call with Mingione came the next day, an official offer followed, and McGee's decision was made.
The 6-foot, 180-pound right-hander said the atmosphere around the program stood out as much as anything.
"I like the colors. I love the Big Blue Nation," McGee said. "There's no pro team in Kentucky, so you are the pro team. You have the whole state behind you."
He also pointed to the relationship Mingione builds with his players as a key factor in the decision.
"Coach Mingione is very family oriented," McGee said. "He's around you for four years, five years, three years, whatever it is. You're their sons. Like he has 30 sons now, so that kind of stuck out to me because you're not going to get that everywhere."
McGee will not return to Roncalli for his senior season. Instead, he is transferring to P27 Baseball Academy in Lexington, South Carolina. The school opened in 2018 and has produced five MLB Draft picks. Its most recent was Ethan Wagner, selected in the 17th round in 2024. Florida commit Brendan Lawson was also drafted out of P27 that year, in the 19th round. He did not sign and is now projected to be among the top picks in the 2027 MLB Draft.
Leaving home was not an easy call. McGee acknowledged the difficulty of being away from his family and said he may need to pick up some cooking skills along the way. But his target is not simply professional baseball.
"For me, my goal is to play in the major leagues, not just play pro," he said.
