2025 Sneaky College Baseball Transfer Portal Moves
A blog by Will at Overdue Sports
We all know the transfer portal has changed the entire landscape of college athletics, and while none are effected quite as much as football, we’ve seen some VERY high level ball players bounce from mid-major programs and make massive impacts at power five schools, and even into their pro careers. Paul Skenes (Air Force) and Hurston Waldrep (Southern Miss) to name a few from recent years.
Like every year, the portal is filled up and distributed all over the country, and I’m here to give love to a few of my favorite transfer portal moves, specifically those from mid-major schools, or different divisions heading into the 2025 college baseball season.
Zach Root/LHP/East Carolina → Arkansas
We all knew about Trey Yesavage in 2024, but Zach Root was his counter-punch, and was a huge piece of the Pirates 2024 success. Tallying a 6-2 record over 68.1 innings pitched with 76 K, 21 BB, a .228 B/AVG and a 3.56 ERA. Root has a funky delivery and plus offspeed, he creates a ton of deception that hitters struggle with.
Despite being slightly undersized at 6’1 Root lives in the 91-94 range on his fastball with 97 in the tank, and I believe Arkansas can tap into that velo and we’ll see an uptick there. What gets me fired up is his changeup, with 10+ mph of velocity difference off his fastball, it generated 46% WHIFF% last year and was a nightmare for opposing batters. Adding to his plus offspeed is a curveball that generated a 48% WHIFF%, with an 11-5 shape, it plays off his fastball really well. Root rounds out his arsenal with a slider, I’m curious to see where that falls in his development with the Razorbacks.
Myles Patton/LHP/Long Beach St → Texas A&M
Another southpaw, this time from the Big West. Myles Patton finds himself transferring to the runner-up of the 2024 National Championship, but will most certainly find themselves in the drivers seat to be #1 come preseason polls. Patton racked up 88 strikeouts over 61.2 IP with just 24 BB and a 3.26 ERA in 2024 at Long Beach St.
With a nasty slider in the low 80’s, it disappears on lefty’s and his ability to locate it back-foot to RHH makes it that much more playable. Despite only being 88-91 with the fastball, it gets on hitters quickly due to a short and deceptive arm action. Another guy I anticipate the velocity will increase with the transfer to a major D1 program. Quickly becoming one of my favorite arms of the 2025 Draft Class.
Wyatt Henseler/3B/Penn → Texas A&M
The common trope of college baseball the last few years has been Ivy League grad transfers jumping to Power 5 programs and tearing it up. Duke has perfected this formula in the last two seasons, and I expect Wyatt Henseler will be no different for the Aggies in 2025. A middle of the order bat with a career slash line of .354/.445/.690 with 50 2B, 54 HR and 189 RBI. Henseler held a 1:1 K:BB in 2024 (28:28), and is a big ball-in-play, aggressive approach, player at the dish.
Why I love these types of players so much is that they have years of experience, and the transition into Power 5 ball is much smaller than most people think. While the Aggies lineup is already stacked heading into 2025, watch for this physical bat to be a real difference maker.
Tyson Bass/OF/North Carolina Wesleyan - North Carolina
What would this list be without a D3 grinder? We saw in last years Super Regional, UCONN nearly took a team with 11 former Division 3 players to the promised land of Omaha, but fell just short. At 6’3, 200 lb, Tyson Bass will make the jump from D3 to Chapel Hill. In 2024, Bass hit .369 with 11 doubles, 4 triples, 21 HR, 57 RBI, and 31 stolen bases. With a big frame and clear athletic prowess, Bass will be an immediate impact for the 2025 Tar Heels. Reports from Fall Camp suggest he’s making the transition into Power 5 ball look effortless.
While there’s not a lot of information on him out there, it’s clear he has struck a balance between power and speed, and will be a key piece for a North Carolina ball club looking to get back into the postseason.
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