Portal Powerhouses: Top 5 Transfer Classes in College Baseball

*Transfer portal data/rankings is brought to you by our good friends at 64Analytics. 

The transfer portal has changed the landscape of college baseball, playing a key role in the success of many teams over the past couple of seasons. 

College baseball’s roster landscape has undergone a dramatic transformation over the past decade, with the transfer portal now serving as one of the sport’s most powerful engines of change. 

What was once a gradual process of attrition and replacement has become a fast-paced cycle of arrivals, departures, and internal battles that reshape depth charts each summer. Just this year, more than 1,500 Division 1 players filed paperwork for the transfer portal after it opened on June 2nd, according to Baseball America. 

For coaches, it has become both a lifeline and a logistical puzzle, offering unprecedented opportunities to retool rosters overnight.

While critics argue the portal tilts power toward perennial giants, its impact is felt across all levels of the sport. Programs that reach Omaha increasingly lean on transfers, and even the game’s bluebloods have embraced the trend in ways that would have seemed unlikely just a few years ago. 

LSU is the most prominent example: the Tigers have won two national championships in the last three years (2023 and 2025). They’ve featured marquee transfer names like Paul Skenes and Tommy White in 2023 and Daniel Dickinson and Anthony Eyanson in 202, which helped catapult them to championship glory. 

From powerhouses like LSU to upstart programs chasing their first taste of national contention, the portal has become the universal marketplace of college baseball. With the transfer portal now entrenched as a defining force in college baseball, some programs have separated themselves with especially impactful classes. 

We’ll dive deep into the top five transfer portal classes, breaking down how each team leveraged the portal, the key additions that set them apart, and what it all means for their chances this season. But first, here is a list of the current top 25 portal classes per our friends at 64Analytics:

#1 Georgia Bulldogs

Top Names

• RHP Caden Aoki (USC)
• C/OF Jack Arcamone (Richmond)
• LHP Andrew Behnke (Tennessee)
• 1B/RHP Bryce Calloway (New Orleans)
• LHP/OF Kenny Ishikawa (Seattle)
• OF Cole Koniarsky (UNLV)
• INF Ryan Lujo (Dayton)
• RHP Matt Scott (Stanford)
• UTL Jordy Oriach (New Mexico)
• RHP Brad Pruett (ECU)
• RHP Dylan Vigue (Michigan)
• RHP Joey Volchko (Stanford)

The DAWGS come in at number one on the transfer portal rankings. Wes Johnson, Brock Bennett, and company did some serious work this portal season to get their roster in a solid place for the 2026 college baseball season. 

We have to start with the additions on the mound. The Georgia Bulldogs got basically a full rotation with the likes of Matt Scott, Joey Volchko, Dylan Vigue, and Caden Aoki. 

The two Stanford arms were some of the bigger prizes. Both Matt Scott (#5 in 64Analytics Portal Rankings) and Joey Volchko (#2 in 64Analytics Portal Rankings) have tons of stuff. They struggled during their time at Stanford but have immense upside. 

Volchko is a massive name for the 2026 MLB Draft and is considered a top 50 college prospect for the draft. It’s a fastball that’s been up to 97 paired with an upper-80s t0 low-80s slider as well as a low-90s changeup and mid-80s curveball. 

Scott is another guy who’s been up to the mid-90s with his fastball which he pairs with a solid changeup and slider with cutterish action. 

Nabbing Dylan Vigue (#38 in 64Analytics Portal Rankings) and Caden Aoki (#80 in 64Analytics Portal Rankings) gives them tons of names to choose from for the rotation this season. Aoki was an intriguing draft prospect for 2025. 

ECU RHP Brad Pruett, Tennessee LHP, Andrew Behnke, and New Orleans Grant Edwards are some other arms to keep your eye on. 

As for the bats, they got the #34 overall ranked Bryce Calloway out of New Orleans as well as the #42 ranked Cole Koniarsky out of UNLV and Kenny Ishikawa out of Seattle University. 

Calloway is a OF/RHP who put up video game numbers in the Southland Conference, hitting .358 with 16 2Bs, 27 HR,s and 102 RBI over two season with the University of New Orleans. He also notched 11 saves and posted a 4.26 ERA over 25.1 innings in 2025.

Ishikawa is another two-way player who has starter experience on the mound giving them some more potential depth in the rotation. He posted a 4.21 ERA while striking out 77 batters in 66.1 IP in 2025. He was an even bigger force at the plate slashing .318/.420/.562 with 23 2B, 8 HR, and 32 RBI in 52 games. Kid flat out rakes. 

Former UNLV OF Cole Koniarsky is the last of the top 100 bats heading to Georgia. It’s a massive tablesetter profile as like Ishikawa, he flat out rakes. He slashed .363/.441/.549 with 15 2B, 7 HR, and 47 RBI in 2025 while walking more than he struck out. 

Richmond C/OF Jack Arcamone, Dayton INF Ryan Lujo, and New Mexico UTL Jordy Oriach are some other bats to watch in 2026 as well. 

Georgia loaded up with impact talent on both sides of the ball, giving them a roster built to compete right away. With this portal haul, the Dawgs look ready to make a statement in the SEC and set themselves up for a big 2026 season. 

They’ll be looking for another 40+ win season for a third straight year under Head Coach Wes Johnson and hopefully punching a ticket to Omaha. 

#2 Tennessee Volunteers

Top Names

• OF/1B Henry Ford (Virginia)
• OF/LHP Blaine Brown (Rice)
• RHP Landon Mack (Rutgers)
• RHP Bo Rhudy (Kennesaw State)
• LHP Evan Blanco (Virginia)
• LHP Mark Hindy (Duke)
• RHP Brady Frederick (ETSU)
• C/OF Garrett Wright (Bowling Green)

Just last year, the Vols brought in major pieces like Gavin Kilen, Andrew Fischer, and Liam Doyle via the transfer portal. It was more of the same for the Volunteers during this portal season.

After winning the College World Series in 2024, the Tennessee Volunteers couldn’t make it out of a Super Regional even with their stacked squad. They had Friday night ace Liam Doyle, but pitching depth seems to be where they struggled the most. 

They aimed to address that this portal season bringing in six new arms highlighted by Landon Mack, Bo Rhudy, Evan Blanco, and Brady Frederick. 

Before we get into the arms, we have to talk about the prized bat heading to Knoxville in Henry Ford. Ford was a preseason top 25 bat for the 2025 MLB Draft and still was a top 60 overall draft prospect according to our own Just Baseball 2025 MLB Draft Rankings.

It’s a massive get for the Vols, especially as they are trying to replace some thump they lost in Andrew Fischer. In two years at Virginia, Ford slashed .348/.414/.467 with 22 2B, 28 HR, and 115 RBI in 111 games played for the Cavailiers. 

He’ll look to carry that success over into the SEC. He was a draft-elgiible sophomore this past year so he’ll still be a fairly young junior and could easily boost his stock with some success in 2026. 

Landon Mack was the highest rated of the arms coming in at #19 overall in the 64Analytics portal rankings. The former Rutgers righty put together a stellar season. He posted a 4.03 ERA while striking out 70 batters in 80.1 innings pitched. He should be an easy rotation candidate.

Former Virginia LHP Evan Blanco might be the most intriguing arm they got. Blanco was Virginia’s Friday night ace two years ago but after that season he battled injuries and struggled to find his footing in 2025. 

In 2024, Blanco went 8-3 while posting a 3.62 ERA and striking out 99 batters in 99.1 innings pitched. He was expected to be a highly sought after arm in the 2025 MLB Draft but he’ll head to Tennessee and try to boost his draft stock back to 2024 levels. 

Bo Rhudy and Brady Frederick give this team even more depth on the mound. Rhudy is more of a reliever type who posted a 3.16 ERA while striking out 44 in 37 innings. 

Frederick meanwhile looks like the definition of an innings eater. He went 8-2 with a 2.67 ERA while striking out 76 batters in 77.2 innings pitched. He’s an underhand submariner who dominates the zone and has a ton of deception.

Tennessee once again crushed the portal, reloading with a mix of proven arms and a premier bat in Henry Ford. The Vols look poised to keep themselves firmly in the national conversation heading into 2026.

#3 Mississippi State Bulldogs

Top Names

• LHP Tomas Valincius (Virginia)
• OF Aidan Teel (Virginia)
• OF Vytas Valincius (Illinois)
• OF James Nunnallee (Virginia)
• RHP Tyler Pitzer (South Carolina)
• RHP Jackson Logar (James Madison)
• INF Drew Wyers (Bryant)
• LHP William Kirk (Virginia)

Brian O’Connor enters his first year as Mississippi State’s head baseball coach after over 20 years at the University of Virginia. Part of the reason this portal class was so good is that many of those Virginia players followed him to Starkville. 

Tomas Valincius, Aidan Teel, James Nunnallee, Chone James, and William Kirk all followed to O’Connor to Mississippi State. All come in a various levels of impact. Let’s start with the big names.

The two outfield bats, James Nunnallee and Aidan Teel, have the potential to be extremely impactful for the Bulldogs. Teel, the younger brother of White Sox prospect and former first rounder, Kyle Teel, was a two-way but focused on just hitting this year and had a ton of success.

He slashed .317/.442/.538 with 20 2B, 7 HR, 40 RBI, and nine SBs in 2025. He’s extremely athletic and has a ton of speed that helps him stick in centerfield. While the routes aren’t always the best, he makes up for it with his athleticism. 

Nunnallee is another big time OF who was drafted by the Milwaukee Brewers in the 14th round of the 2024 MLB Draft. O’Connor was able to get him to Virginia and he had a really good freshman year where he slashed .296/.407/401. It’s a legit tablesetter profile. 

As for the arms, Tomas Valincius and William Kirk both have some major upside. Valincius served basically as Virginia’s Sunday guy as a freshman posted a 4.59 ERA while striking out 70 batters in 64.2 innings. Kirk was the Gatorade Player of the Year in New Jersey in 2024. He missed all of 2025 with a torn ACL.

Tomas Valincius’ brother, Vytas, and Drew Wyers are two intriguing bats as well. Vytas had an incredible season at Illinois and Drew Wyers hit over .400 while driving in 50 with Bryant.

Mississippi State made a big splash in Brian O’Connor’s first portal cycle, bringing a strong Virginia pipeline with him to Starkville. The Bulldogs have the pieces to quickly elevate under their new skipper and make noise in 2026.

#4 South Carolina Gamecocks

Top Names

• RHP Josh Gunther (Wake Forest)
• LHP Bradley Hodges (Virginia)
• OF Ethan Lizama (Western Kentucky)
• C Reese Moore (Iowa)
• LHP Bryce Navarre (Texas)
• SS Erik Parker (Georgia)
• RHP Amp Phillips (USC Upstate)
• RHP Alex Philpott (Florida)
• INF Logan Sutter (Purdue)
• LHP Alex Valentin (Texas State)

It wasn’t the year one Paul Mainieri and company were hoping for in South Carolina. The Gamecocks went 28-29 and a brutal 6-24 in SEC play. They showcased this portal season, aiming to prevent poor performance from happening again. The Gamecocks landed six top 100 players in the transfer portal. 

It was headlined by RHP Alex Philpott out of Florida. Don’t let the number fool you, Philpott is NASTY! He has some of the best pure stuff in college baseball. While he posted a 7.30 ERA, he struck out 44 batters in 37 innings. He just needs help honing it in. 

They also got commitments from some other intriguing arms in RHP Josh Gunther from Wake Forest, LHP Alex Valentin from Texas State, and LHP Bradley Hodges from Virginia. 

Gunther was one of the best relievers for the Demon Deacons. He struck out an insane 47 batters in 29 innings while posting a 3.41 ERA. Valentin didn’t have the best ERA and needs more consistency, but he is nasty when he’s on. Hodges is another upside arm that has battled injuries during his time at Virginia. He’s flashed a ton of success in 2023 and 2025.

On the offensive side of things, C Reese Moore, OF Ethan Lizama, and INF Logan Sutter all have the chance to be super impactful for South Carolina.

Moore was a staple in Iowa’s lineup slashing .304/.436/.546 with 16 2B, 9 HR, and 45 RBI. Lizama put up massive numbers for Western Kentucky smashing 18 doubles, 15 home runs and driving in 60. Sutter did the same at Purdue crushing 22 2Bs, 15 HRs, and 62 RBI.

These bats should give the Gamecocks some real firepower that the lineup seemed to be missing last year outside of Ethan Petry. 

The Gamecocks rounded out their class with two high-upside players Erik Parker and Bryce Navarre. Both were highly-touted prep prospects coming out of high school. 

The Dodgers took Parker in the 15th round of the 2024 MLB Draft and he was a top 200 player for that draft. He saw limited playing time at Georgia. Navarre his some insane stuff and spun a curveball as high as 3,100 RPM in high school. He also saw limited playing time at Texas.

South Carolina hit the reset button with one of the more balanced portal classes in the country, bringing in both high-upside arms and middle-of-the-order bats. The Gamecocks look far better equipped to compete in the SEC and push for a bounce-back season in 2026.

#5 Auburn Tigers

Top Names

• LHP Garrett Brewer (Michigan State)
• INF Todd Clay (UAB)
• INF Ryne Farber (Texas State)
• LHP Ethan Harden (Belmont)
• 1B/OF Eddie Madrigal (St. Mary’s)
• LHP Jake Marciano (Virginia Tech)
• RHP Drew Whalen (Western Kentucky)

It always feels like Auburn doesn’t get enough love in the SEC. Each year, they sneakily put together one of the best rosters in college baseball. Head Coach Butch Thompson is one of the most respected coaches in the game. 

Auburn had their rotation decmiated in the draft losing both Cade Fisher and Samuel Dutton who played a huge role for them. They went out and got some extremely intriguing arms to hopefully give them some depth. 

Virginia Tech LHP Jake Marciano was the highest-ranked player they got (#22 on 64Analytics Transfer Portal Rankings). Marciano was a highly-touted freshman who got 14 starts regardless of some of his struggles.

He struckout 71 batters in 60.2 innings but posted a 6.08 ERA. He’s got a solid fastball, slider, cutter, change up mix. He was 32% chase rate which ranked 2nd in the ACC. Really high upside arm. 

Drew Whalen is another arm who was a massive part of the Western Kentucky rotation. The two-year college veteran went 9-3 with a 3.53 ERA while striking out 90 in 81.2 innings. 

On top of the arms, the Tigers loaded up with some interesting bats. INF Ryne Farber out of Texas State (Ranked #24 on the 64Analyics Portal Rankngs) was ranked the highest. While the numbers don’t jump off the board, he’s a solid tablesetter with real good contact skills and speed.

1B/OF Eddie Madrigal was a massive part of St. Mary’s playoff run and he put up some insane video game numbers. He slashed .368/.462/.698 with 13 2B, 21 HR, and 78 RBI in the West Coast Conference. INF Todd Clay was similar as he slashed .361/.473/.539 with 13 2B, 7 HR, and 51 RBI with Alabama-Birmingham.

Auburn quietly put together another strong portal class, filling key holes on the mound and adding serious thump to the lineup. The Tigers once again look ready to be a dangerous force in the SEC heading into 2026.