Former Journal Star baseball player of the year Tate Roley has entered the NCAA transfer portal following his sophomore year at Bradley.
The Morton product along with Josh Vaughn (Illini Bluffs) are among at least five Peoria-area players to enter the transfer portal since the retirement of Elvis Dominguez. Late last month, former two-time POY Easton Harris of Washington, Beau Durbin (Morton, infielder) and Travis Lutz (Limestone, pitcher) announced their intent to transfer.
That’s at least 16 Bradley players that are transferring after the 2025 season.
Roley, a 6-foot-4 left-handed pitcher, didn’t make any appearances this past season as he is still just 13 months removed from UCL reconstruction surgery. He has four years of eligibility remaining. He made two appearances in 2024, throwing 2.1 innings with three strikeouts, four walks and a 19.29 ERA.
Vaughn, who cited the coaching change as his reason for transferring, just completed his freshman season. He made 13 appearances, including eight starts, and finished with a 1-3 record, striking out 38, while walking 30 in 40.2 innings.
Other transfers include Dominic Anselmo (freshman, C/OF), Cole Smith (junior, utility), Kenton Unruh (freshman, outfielder), CJ Trask (freshman, infielder) and Mikey Brunetti (sophomore, catcher).
Bradley hired Justin Dedman on June 4 as Dominguez’s successor. Dedman, a Lincoln native, was the Loyola Marymount University recruiting coordinator for the last two seasons.
Bradley finished the 2025 season at 16-35 overall and 12-15 in MVC play. The Braves earned a berth in the MVC tournament as the No. 7 seed, losing 11-7 to sixth-seed Belmont in the first round.