On Tuesday, UK baseball’s 2017 recruitment class was ranked No. 9 in the nation by Baseball America.

This ranking is the second-highest in the history of the program by the prestigious publication. It follows the immense success that the Cats had in the 2017 season, where they hosted and won their first Regional, qualifying them for the first Super Regional in program history.

The Cats finished the season in the top ten in national polls after being projected to finish in the bottom of the conference.

The 2008 class, which was ranked No. 4, is the only class to be ranked higher by Baseball America.

The 2017 class is the first to be fully recruited by head coach Nick Mingione and his coaching staff. The Cats have signed 16 All-American high school prospects, as well as eight freshman that are considered nationally to be in the Top 500 recruits, including right-hander, Brad Dobzanski. Dobzanski was a 2017 draftee and the New Jersey Gatorade High School State Player of the Year.

The Cats have also signed eight Top 150 ranked junior college players.

“This is a banner class for our program moving forward and very much needed after we had eight total draft picks and a program record six Top 10-round draft picks selected in the 2017 MLB Draft,” Mingione said in a press release. “The 2017 class has a very strong foundation that sets us up for future success.”

With 15 states represented by this year’s recruitment class, the coaching staff certainly went beyond surrounding states to obtain talented players.

The season will open on Feb. 16, against the Wofford Terriers.