Houston baseball transfer portal tracker: additions, departures with Will Davis era incoming

As new coach Will Davis begins his tenure and the NCAA transfer portal remains open from June 1-30, Houston baseball is likely to add and lose numerous players.

Davis, who led Lamar to a Southland tournament championship and an appearance in the NCAA College Station Regional, is expected to bring associate head coach and program alum Scott Hatten with him to Houston, along with Southeastern Louisiana recruiting coordinator Taylor Dugas, who was on the Lions’ Southland regular season championship squad.

With Davis and Hatten having put together a top-25 national transfer portal class for the Cardinals in the 2025-26 offseason to help accomplish their feat, they’ll aim to utilize the same process towards helping Houston perennially contend for regional bids in the Big 12, potentially for the conference.

On the other hand, with the departure of coach Todd Whitting, the Cougars will lose some players to the portal who need a change of scenery.

Additions

Jake Wagoner: Lamar catcher Jake Wagoner committed to the Cougars on June 1 per his social media, and is the first Cardinal to follow Davis to Houston out of the portal. Wagoner batted a team-leading .341, good for third in the Southland Conference, with an .862 OPS, 18 RBIs and 11 extra-base hits in 47 games for the Cardinals as a junior in 2026. A native of Cedar Park, Texas and an alum of Vista Ridge High School in Seattle, Wagoner committed to Davis and Lamar after two seasons at Seattle University as part of the Cardinals’ top-25 portal class from 2025-26. He was named to the Southland All-Tournament team after hitting .542 in the Cardinals’ conference championship run that began out of the losers’ bracket in Beaumont.

Departures

Riley Jackson: Junior catcher and first baseman Riley Jackson leaves Houston with a career .232 average and .813 OPS. He spent two seasons with the program, and originally transferred from Florida State. The Melbourne, Florida native slashed .271/.387/.512 in 52 games for the Cougars in 2026, driving in 29 runs and hitting nine homers in a leap from his sophomore season. His go-ahead ninth-inning homer on April 21 against Rice at Reckling Park helped Houston clinch its fifth-straight Silver Glove trophy. It also earned him a spot among nine Cougars on the All-Silver Glove Series Team.

Xavier Perez: Redshirt sophomore outfielder and first baseman Xavier Perez departs Houston after two seasons with the program as a redshirt transfer from Texas State. The Corpus Christi native and Veterans Memorial High School alum leaves behind a .296 average and .888 OPS across 106 games for the Cougars. Perez’s 2025 campaign, which helped Houston clinch its first Big 12 tournament appearance, saw him batting .305 while driving in 48 runs and clubbing nine homers to become the 14th team triple crown holder in program history. He slashed .288/.379/.495 in 54 games for the Cougars in 2026, driving in 36 runs and tying his home run total from the previous season.

Connor Udland: Freshman right-handed pitcher Connor Udland committed to Houston as a standout from high school developmental organization Banditos Baseball Club and a product of Katy High School. The Katy native went 3-3 with a 5.87 ERA across 38.1 innings for the Cougars in 2026, striking out 44 batters in 15 appearances, including seven starts.

Hunter Elrod: Freshman utility player Hunter Elrod committed to Houston out of New Braunfels Christian Academy. As the nephew of former Houston quarterback Austin Elrod, he emerged as a standout from youth travel organization Marucci Elite Texas. Although he saw action in Houston’s fall scrimmage, Elrod did not appear in any games for the Cougars in 2026.