Cayden Nicoletto has had quite the journey to get where he is today. The Australian born ballplayer announced on Wednesday afternoon that he'd be transferring to Mizzou for his senior campaign. This comes after a monstrous 2024 season right down the street, playing for Columbia College.
I’m excited to announce I will be transferring to the University of Missouri 💛🖤 I couldn’t be more thankful for this opportunity and for everyone who has played a role in my baseball career!! pic.twitter.com/Ct1ZPSfdKu
— Cayden Nicoletto (@CaydenNicoletto) July 3, 2024
He helped lead his team to a 39-16 record this past season, including a 19-2 conference record. Nicoletto finished the season slashing .412 at the plate with a 1.382 OPS, while playing in all 55 of his teams games.
Obviously it will be a difficult transition for Nicoletto transferring to SEC pitching at Missouri, but this is a challenge that he has faced before. His college career began at North Iowa Area Community College (NIACC), before moving to Columbia College (CC) prior to the 2023 season. Nicoletto made this jump look easy, becoming one of the best players to ever come through CC in just two years with the program.
Last season Nicoletto accumulated multiple school records for Columbia College. He set the school record for single season hits (87), home runs (27), runs-batted-in (81), and total bases (193). When you pair Nicoletto's hitting with solid defense, all of a sudden you're looking at a good everyday ballplayer. It will be fun to see his adjustment to better pitching early on next season.
After a disappointing 23-32 season for the Tigers in 2024, they will be looking for all the help they can get prior to the start of next season. Nicoletto's flexibility to play almost anywhere in the outfield should be a sigh of relief for Missouri's manager, Kerrick Jackson. It was a rough first season for Jackson, who will look to turn things around heading into his second year.
Nicoletto will likely be battling for playing time at the beginning of next season, but if all goes well the sky is the limit for this senior. There is still a lot of time for Missouri to fill out the rest of their squad for next season. Moves will surely be made with the new transfer portal rules, but Nicoletto figures to be a key addition to the team for 2025.