The transfer portal continues to reshape college baseball, creating opportunities for immediate impact across every conference.

Below is a look at the top incoming transfer in each league, defined not by prospect status or draft value, but by the likelihood of making a meaningful impact this season. In some cases, that impact may overlap with long-term upside. In others, it is rooted purely in performance and opportunity. Conferences are listed alphabetically.

America East: Aidan Vining, LHP, Bryant

Vining transferred to Bryant from Division III JWU with an outstanding track record of production. Last season, he struck out 113 batters against just 11 walks while maintaining a 2.45 ERA over 91.2 innings and pitching five complete games, including two shutouts. He has walked just 23 batters over 166.1 innings since the start of the 2024 season and has a chance to be a frontline starter in the America East for a Bryant team picked second behind reigning champion Binghamton in the league’s preseason coaches poll.

American: Gavin Van Kempen, RHP, East Carolina

Van Kempen transferred to East Carolina from West Virginia and headlined a strong AAC transfer class. Once viewed as a prominent draft prospect, he posted a 6.13 ERA with 37 strikeouts and 26 walks over 39.2 innings last season, working with a 92-94 mph fastball that touched 96 and a two-plane slider that generated a 39% whiff rate and 30% chase rate. ECU’s recent track record with arm development, most notably with Trey Yesavage, makes Van Kempen’s upside particularly intriguing.

Atlantic 10: Khris Morris, RHP, Richmond

Morris transferred to Richmond after a brief stop at UNC Wilmington, where he appeared in just three games following a standout 2024 season at Division II West Virginia State. That year, he posted a 2.41 ERA with 85 strikeouts and 30 walks over 71 innings while also hitting .266/.323/.578 with 14 home runs and 10 doubles. He now lands at Richmond looking to recapture the production that made him one of the more intriguing Division II transfers in the first place.

ACC: AJ Gracia, OF, Virginia

The ACC’s top transfer came from within the league, as Gracia followed coach Chris Pollard from Duke to Virginia. He enters the season as one of college baseball’s top 2026 offensive draft prospects. Gracia has a prototypical pro frame at 6-foot-3, 195 pounds and brings legitimate power after hitting .299/.445/.559 with 29 home runs and 24 doubles across his first two seasons at Duke. His swing is unconventional and something he has tinkered with at times, but his bat speed and leverage generate eye-opening pop, while his patient approach produced strong walk totals and improved strikeout rates as a sophomore. Defensively, he played both right field and center field in college but profiles best as a corner outfielder at the next level.

ASUN: Trace Hartman, RHP, Stetson

Stetson was instantly bullish on Hartman, a junior who transferred from Division II Charleston after leading the level with a 1.78 ERA in 2024. He endured a difficult 2025 season but rediscovered his form this fall, touching 95 mph with a high-80s cutter, a low-80s slider and a developing splitter. His fastball and splitter graded especially well analytically during a summer stint in the Alaska League, and the door is open for Hartman to emerge as Stetson’s ace.

Big 12: Tanner Sagouspe, RHP, TCU

Sagouspe was a candidate to turn pro following the 2025 season after posting a 3.65 ERA with 52 strikeouts and 24 walks over 44.1 innings as Cal Poly’s closer. The 6-foot righthander instead became one of the first players in the country to enter the transfer portal before signing with College World Series contender TCU. Expected to close for the Horned Frogs, Sagouspe saw a velocity jump over the offseason and is now touching 96 mph with ample carry at the top of the zone. He also features a high-70s curveball with sharp, vertical bite that generated a 48% miss rate in 2025.

Big East: Nater Wachter, OF, UConn

Wachter tied for the UConn team lead in total bases this fall with 34, hitting three home runs and several doubles. He walked 10 times, struck out 16 times and hit .390 with a near-.500 on-base percentage to position himself as the leading candidate for the Huskies’ right field job. Wachter hit .300/.440/.621 with 15 home runs and 14 doubles at Division II Southern New Hampshire in 2025. 

Big South: Luke Earnhardt, LHP, Winthrop

Earnhardt is a 6-foot lefthander who began his college career at Middle Tennessee before dropping down to Division II North Georgia, where he put together a standout sophomore season. Earnhardt posted a 3.47 ERA with 82 strikeouts to 28 walks over 90.2 innings. He doesn’t feature overwhelming stuff but showed the ability to pitch effectively in the zone at North Georgia and will now retest himself at the Division I level with Winthrop.

Big Ten: Logan Reddemann, RHP, UCLA

Reddemann transferred from San Diego to UCLA, staying in Southern California after emerging as one of the most coveted arms in the portal. A strong athlete and consistent strike-thrower, he drew interest from several national contenders before landing in Westwood. Among Division I pitchers who logged at least 130 innings across the 2024 and 2025 seasons, Reddemann’s 5.6% walk rate ranked inside the top 25 nationally. Reddemann works with a low-to-mid 90s fastball, a mid-80s changeup evaluators widely believe to be a plus offering, a mid-80s slider and an upper-70s curveball. Earlier this week, Carlos Collazo highlighted Reddemann as a potential draft sleeper.

Big West: Laif Palmer, RHP, Cal Poly

Cal Poly landed a major piece over the summer in Palmer, a former Oregon State reliever who immediately became the top transfer addition to the Big West. Palmer works in the mid 90s with his fastball, which features ample ride and a relatively flat approach angle. He complements it with a mid-80s slider that shows two-plane movement. Palmer has a chance to transition into a starting role for the Mustangs and could put himself squarely in the mix for pitcher of the year honors in one of the country’s most competitive mid-major conferences.

CAA: Luc Rising, RHP, Northeastern

Rising transferred from Division III RIT, where he emerged as a successful reliever as a sophomore in 2024 before moving into a starting role and posting a 3.28 ERA with 39 strikeouts and 13 walks over 49.1 innings in 2025. He moved on to pitching powerhouse Northeastern, where he appears poised to slot into the Huskies’ rotation. Rising sits 91-94 mph and has touched 95 this preseason, pairing his fastball with a feel for spin and above-average control.

Conference USA: Jordan Jaffe, 1B, Liberty

Jaffe was productive as a junior at Richmond in 2025, hitting .364/.429/.599 with 10 home runs, 19 doubles and 31 strikeouts against 23 walks. The underlying data was equally encouraging, as the righthanded hitter posted a 91 mph average exit velocity and made contact at an above-average rate without frequently expanding the zone. Jaffe could stand to elevate the ball more consistently, but he has the strength and bat-to-ball skills to translate well following his move to Conference USA.

Horizon League: Kendal Spencer, OF, Youngstown State

Youngstown State landed one of the portal’s most productive Division II statistical performers in Spencer, a former Savannah State outfielder. Last year, Spencer hit .446/.568/.662 with five home runs, nine doubles, five triples and 35 stolen bases on 39 attempts while drawing more than three times as many walks (45) as strikeouts (14). If even a portion of that production carries over, he could help position the Penguins for their first trip to the NCAA Tournament since 2014.

Ivy League: Jack McWilliams, LHP, Columbia

The Ivy League produces a handful of coveted exports on the transfer market each year, but imports into the sport’s most academically rigorous conference remain rare. McWilliams is the only NCAA transfer into the league from the 2025 cycle. The lefthander comes from San Diego, where he posted a 16.88 ERA over 10.2 innings in 2025. McWilliams will look for a fresh start at Columbia, becoming a notable outlier in the Ivy League’s typical transfer flow.

MAAC: Luis Cedeno, OF, Marist

Cedeno spent the first three years of his collegiate career at NAIA Warner, where he hit .323/.427/.390 with 113 stolen bases and a near one-to-one walk-to-strikeout ratio across 144 career games. He swiped 31 bags and hit .359 in 51 games as a junior in 2025. 

MAC: Cameron Boyd, OF, Ohio

Boyd broke out as a sophomore at Southern Indiana in 2025, hitting .311/.371/.464 with six home runs, eight doubles and 18 stolen bases. The performance appears primed to translate to the MAC, as it was supported by an 88.5 mph average exit velocity and above-average contact rates. He can be prone to chasing out of the zone, but Boyd generally makes strong contact and does his best damage in the air.

Missouri Valley Conference: Payton McHarg, OF, Illinois State

McHarg produced big results over two seasons at Division II Washburn, batting .328/.458/.652 with 34 home runs, 28 doubles and 70 walks against 86 strikeouts across 106 appearances. He spent the bulk of his sophomore season in right field but also made 18 appearances at third base. McHarg figures to factor immediately into the lineup at Illinois State.

Mountain West: Damian Garcia, 1B, New Mexico

Garcia finished the 2025 season tied for sixth in the SWAC in home runs with 14 while batting .342/.452/.755 with 12 doubles and five triples. His 1.207 OPS ranked second in the league. A native of San Luis, Ariz., Garcia will now test his bat in the Mountain West Conference as part of New Mexico’s roster. Garcia split his defensive time between first base, corner outfield and designated hitter in 2025.

Northeast Conference: Omar Carreras, DH, Wagner

Carreras slashed .325/.439/.535 with five home runs, five doubles and an even strikeout-to-walk ratio as a sophomore at Division II Tusculum across 36 games last year. He spent most of the season as the DH but also saw time at both corner infield spots.

Ohio Valley Conference: Nolan Freund, 3B, Little Rock

A junior college transfer who earned NJCAA All-America honorable mention honors, Freund hit .422/.495/.641 with 23 doubles, nine home runs and 71 RBIs last spring while drawing more walks (32) than strikeouts (31). That offensive track record translated immediately to Division I scrimmage settings this past fall. Little Rock coach Chris Curry noted the consistent quality of Freund’s contact and strong arm and plus overall defense at third base, where he has the range to make difficult plays. That blend of polished defensive actions, bat-to-ball skill and physical strength positions Freund to anchor the left side of Little Rock’s infield while giving the Trojans a middle-of-the-order presence.

Patriot League: Sam Fairhurst, RHP, Lehigh

Fairhurst was a steady performer regardless of role at Division III Catholic in 2024 and 2025, pitching to a 3.56 ERA over 113.2 innings with 94 strikeouts against 37 walks. He took a step forward across the board as a sophomore in 2025, posting a 3.42 ERA with 66 strikeouts to just 15 walks over 73.2 innings, nearly all of which came in a starting role. The jump from Division III to Division I is significant, and it’s difficult to project whether the production will translate cleanly. Still, Fairhurst’s whippy delivery, feel for spin and track record of throwing strikes give him the foundational ingredients to make the leap intriguing.

SEC: Chris Hacopian, SS, Texas A&M

Hacopian enters the season as the highest-ranked draft prospect who changed schools over the offseason after transferring from Maryland to Texas A&M, where he is in line to take over the starting shortstop role. He owns one of the strongest offensive track records in the 2026 class, slashing .347/.465/.614 over two seasons at Maryland with 29 home runs and 22 doubles, while also compiling multiple summers of solid wood-bat production. Hacopian gives the Aggies a chance to field a trio of first-round-caliber bats alongside third baseman Gavin Grahovac and outfielder Caden Sorrell. At 6-foot-1, 205 pounds, Hacopian is physically mature with broad shoulders and a powerful swing built around a big leg kick and a pronounced barrel tip in his load. Despite the moving parts, he makes a ton of contact, rarely misses fastballs and does much of his damage to the pull side. 

Southern Conference: James Fordham, RHP, Western Carolina

Fordham impressed in his second and final season at Division II Georgia Southwestern, as the 6-foot-1 righthander posted a 4.15 ERA with 85 strikeouts and 41 walks over 78 innings, including a complete game shutout. If his control improves, he could prove productive in the SoCon.

Southland: Braden Benton, 1B, Lamar

An undersized first baseman and designated hitter, Benton was one of the highlight pieces of a very deep Lamar transfer portal recruiting class after hitting .297/.473/.572 with more walks than strikeouts, 10 home runs and 10 doubles as a 23-year-old at Northwestern State in 2025. He heads to an ultra-competitive Southland conference with a chance to take over an everyday role for a team with NCAA Tournament hopes.

SWAC: Justin Morales, RHP, Bethune-Cookman

Morales transferred from Tallahassee Community College to Bethune-Cookman and brings intriguing raw ingredients, including a mid-to-high 90s fastball and feel for multiple offspeed pitches. His 2025 results were uneven, as he posted a 6.38 ERA with 38 walks over 48 innings, but the athletic 6-foot-4 righthander offers upside as he makes the jump to Division I.

Summit League: Maddox Thornton, RHP, Oral Roberts

Experience and physical maturity are often prerequisites for transfer success at the mid- and low-major levels, which made Thornton an intriguing addition for Oral Roberts coming over from Pittsburg State. Entering his age-24 season, Thornton pitched to a 3.36 ERA with 81 strikeouts and just 12 walks over 99 innings at Pitt State after earlier stops at Crowder College, Grand Canyon and Texas A&M-Corpus Christi. He gives Oral Roberts a proven workhorse with Division I experience and age on his side.

Sun Belt: Nico Azpilcueta, DH/1B, Troy

Troy added a certified slugger in Azpilcueta, who transferred after tormenting CAA pitching at Stony Brook in 2025. The 6-foot-2 righthanded hitter slashed .320/.390/.711 with a league-leading 20 home runs and 14 doubles en route to all-conference honors, posting consistently above-average exit velocities driven by strong wrists and a quick barrel. An aggressive swinger, he will need to rein in chases and leverage his strength to lift the ball more consistently as he moves into a more demanding Sun Belt environment.

WCC: Ryan Humphreys, LHP, Pepperdine

A 6-foot lefthander, Humphreys arrived at Pepperdine ahead of his age-25 season following a unique college path. He began his career at then-NAIA Westmont in 2020, appeared in 17 games over the next two seasons, stayed through the program’s transition to Division II in 2024, and then dominated in 2025 with a 2.45 ERA, 118 strikeouts and 29 walks over 88 innings. Working in the high 80s, Humphreys paired a fastball that generated a whiff rate north of 30% with a curveball, changeup and a seldom-used slider, navigating a delivery with plenty of moving parts while consistently living around the zone.

WAC: Kaden Carpenter, OF, Utah Valley

Carpenter parlayed a strong summer in the Northwoods League in 2024 into a breakout junior season at Utah in 2025, when he hit .313/.417/.495 with five home runs and 16 doubles. He consistently hit the ball hard and produced solid batted-ball angles, though he struggled with zone discipline and posted below-average contact rates in his final season at Utah. A move to the WAC could provide an opportunity to better maximize his strength and athleticism.