The 2026 baseball season will be a crucial one for second-year head coach Michael Earley after a highly disappointing campaign last season. It reached a point where a majority of college baseball experts didn’t expect him to be retained.

To add insult to injury, he lost several players—both former and incoming—to the MLB Draft. This caused the depth of his team to take a hit in a season where he needs the most competition, as he is essentially in the hottest seat in the nation.

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Some of those key players were Jace LaViolette (drafted), Kaeden Kent (drafted), Luke Jackson (signed with the Tampa Bay Rays), Johnny Slawinski (drafted), and many others. However, it’s not all bad. He still has a strong core with Caden Sorrell, Gavin Grahovac, Terrance Kiel, and Shane Sdao. Even though he did lose a few transfer commits to the draft, he was able to hold on to a pair of borderline elite hitters in Chris Hacopian and Jake Duer.

The Aggies needed to replace some production at the plate, and the pair is an excellent start toward that goal. Their production is highlighted by the fact that both players were named to D1Baseball’s Top 50 transfer portal additions.

Below you can see where they landed and an excerpt from their profiles on Aggie Wire:

No. 2 Chris Hacopian – Shortstop

During his time at Maryland, he compiled an impressive career slash line of .347/.465/.614 with 29 home runs, 103 RBIs, and a 1.080 OPS, while only striking out a total of 19 times. Pairing him with Caden Sorrell and Gavin Grahovac gives the Aggies a powerful trio—if they can put it all together, they’ll be a formidable offensive force.

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No. 42 Jake Duer – Outfield

Duer is an immediate starting option with plenty of production. However, he only hit two home runs, which is the only knock for a player hitting .428. Entering the 2026 season as a senior, this is a big year for Duer, who has his own MLB dreams, knowing that a great season in the SEC can solidify his baseball future.

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This article originally appeared on Aggies Wire: Aggies’ Hacopian and Duer named top transfers by D1Baseball