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

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.

Aaron Grant: Arkansas Pine-Bluff infielder Aaron Grant committed to Houston on June 11, per his Instagram, following his 2026 SWAC Freshman of the Year campaign. The Savannah, Texas native and Braswell High School alum held a team-lead and top-10 conference finish in multiple categories with a .376 average, a 1.065 OPS and 56 RBIs, including a conference-leading 11 sacrifice flies, in 54 games for the Golden Lions. One of Grant’s nine homers on the season included a two-out grand slam in Arkansas-Pine Bluff’s series-opener against Houston at Schroeder Park on March 6.

Khaleel Pratt: Eastern Kentucky outfielder and 2026 ASUN Freshman of the Year Khaleel Pratt committed to Houston on June 23, per his Instagram, and is the second conference freshman of the year award winner portal pickup for Davis. The Evans, Ga. native batted .267 with a 1.008 OPS, 23 extra-base hits, including 11 homers, and 37 RBIs in starting 54 games for the Colonels. Pratt finished third in the conference in on-base percentage, tied for fourth in triples, walks and steals, and atop the league by drawing 31 hit-by-pitches. Prior to Eastern Kentucky, Pratt redshirted his 2025 season at Kentucky. Out of Augusta Christian High School, he rated was a top-300 national recruit by Prep Baseball and top-500 by Perfect Game, and was a member of back-to-back SCISA 4A state championship teams in 2023 and 2024.

Zahir Barjam: West Virginia infielder Zahir Barjam committed to Houston on June 25 per his Instagram after a plate potential-filled 2026 freshman campaign with the Mountaineers. A native of Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, Barjam was rated the No. 1 shortstop and No. 2 overall player in South Carolina in his class by Perfect Game out of P27 Academy in Lexington. In 36 plate appearances, including part of the Mountaineers’ first trip to the College World Series in program history, Barjam batted .273 with a .699 OPS while driving in three runs, one of which came in pinch-hit run-rule walk-off fashion against Marshall on April 8.

Franklin Pichardo Jr.: Maryland catcher Franklin Pichardo Jr. committed to Houston on June 17 per his social media, and is the second portal catcher acquisition by Davis. A native of Bethlehem, Pa., Pichardo batted .409 with a 1.185 OPS, two homers, six RBIs and 16 total bases in 24 plate appearances for the Terrapins in his 2026 freshman campaign. He was rated a top-10 catcher and top-100 player out of Pennsylvania in his class, and was a two-time all-conference first-team selection at Liberty High School.

Nate Hawton-Henley: Maryland outfielder Nate Hawton-Henley committed to Houston on July 1 per his advisor Jaden Hardin of Covenant Sports Group, and is the second Terrapin true freshman to commit to the Cougars behind Pichardo. In 38 games in 2026, including 26 starts, the Fairfax, Va. batted .364 with a .977 OPS, seven extra-base hits and 18 RBIs. Hawton-Henley launched a grand slam for his first collegiate homer against Navy on April 8.

Hunter Smolinski: Blinn College alum middle infielder Hunter Smolinski committed to Houston on June 19, per his social media, and is the first JuCo commit under Davis. As a sophomore in 2026, the Fruita, Colo. native batted .377 with a 1.050 OPS, 11 homers and 50 RBIs in 59 games for the Buccaneers. Smolinski hit .458 in the 2026 JuCo World Series as part of Blinn’s national runner-up finish, earning an all-tournament team selection while also being named the tournament’s Outstanding Defensive Player. Prior to Blinn, Smolinski began his collegiate career at Grand Canyon, where he appeared in 12 games for the Lopes as a freshman in 2025.

Max Kaufer: Wichita State catcher Max Kaufer committed to Houston on July 7, per his social media, and is the third catcher acquisition in the portal by Davis. A native of Medford, N.J., Kaufer opened 2026 with a torrid 18-game stretch of batting .440 with a 1.747 OPS, 11 homers, four doubles and 27 RBIs as a senior for the Shockers before his season-ending injury. Prior to Wichita State, Kaufer spent the 2025 season at South Carolina. He began his collegiate career with two seasons at Texas A&M, starting 43 of his 60 career games for the Aggies while rounding out his tenure as a member of their 2024 College World Series national runner-up finish. Out of IMG Academy in Bradenton, Fla., he was rated the top overall catcher prospect in the state of New Jersey and a top-50 overall prospect by Baseball America. Now, entering the 2026-27 offseason, Kaufer has amassed a top-500 draft prospect profile and top-200 college prospect profile across multiple outlets.

UPDATE: On July 12, Kaufer was selected 537th overall in the 18th round of the 2026 MLB Draft by the Texas Rangers.

Greyson Shafer: Nicholls State utility player Greyson Shafer committed to Houston on June 19, per his advisor James O. Covington. The Boise, Idaho native batted .290 with an .899 OPS, 11 homers and 48 RBIs in 50 games for the Colonels as a redshirt junior in 2026. Prior to Nicholls, Shafer spent his 2025 season at BYU, which he missed and redshirted due to injury. He began his collegiate career at College of Southern Idaho, where he batted .297 with 21 homers and 103 RBIs across two seasons for the Golden Eagles, starting all 107 games in his JuCo career.

Matt Lashley: East Carolina infielder Matt Lashley committed to Houston on June 20, per his social media. The Lake Worth, Fla. native and Park Vista High School alum batted .276 with a .764 OPS, two homers and 17 RBIs over 47 games for the American Conference champions as a junior in 2026. Prior to the Pirates, Lashley began his collegiate career at Indian River State College, where he batted .310 over two seasons at the JuCo level.

Uriah Walters: Oklahoma infielder Uriah Walters committed to Houston after a 2026 campaign in which he collected three hits, two walks and two RBIs in 12 plate appearances as a junior for the eventual national champion Sooners. Prior to Oklahoma, the Propser native began his career at Weatherford Junior College, where he batted a JuCo career .303 with an .872 OPS and 72 RBIs for the Coyotes. Walters was a three-year letterman at Rock Hill High School in Frisco.

Daniel Harden: LSU outfielder Daniel Harden committed to Houston on July 17, per his Instagram. In 22 games including two starts in the outfield for the Tigers in his first Division I season, the Prairieville, La. native collected two hits, including a homer, in 19 at-bats while drawing four walks as a junior in 2026. Harden began his career at McLennan Community College, where he was members of back-to-back JuCo World Series appearances with the Highlanders in 2024 and 2025. Towards helping McLennan to a semifinals finish in the 2025 JuCo World Series, Harden batted .354 with 12 homers and 59 RBIs over 66 games for the Highlanders as a sophomore. As a multi-sport athlete at Catholic High School in Baton Rouge, Harden was named 2022 State Championship MVP for the Bears baseball program, while also a two-time football state champion.

David Alvarez: Eastern Kentucky outfielder David Alvarez committed to Houston on July 19, per his social media, and will officially join his Colonel teammate Pratt in Davis’ portal class. The Toronto native started all 54 games the outfield corners for the Colonels as a junior in 2026, as he slashed .317/.374/.516 with eight homers and 49 RBIs to earn Second Team All-ASUN honors. Prior to Eastern Kentucky, he spent the 2025 season at Northwest Florida State College, where he earned first team all-conference and all-state honors after batting .373 with nine homers and 47 RBIs as a sophomore for the Raiders at the JuCo level. He began his collegiate career at Florida Atlantic, where he appeared in 15 games as a freshman in 2024, including five starts.

Garrett Hutchins: Air Force Academy infielder Garrett Hutchins committed to Houston on July 19, per his social media. In 27 games for the Falcons, Hutchins batted .376 with a .998 OPS, 13 extra-base hits and 28 RBIs as a freshman in 2026. The Allen native began his academy journey as a member of Cadet Squadron 25. A district MVP and three-year letterman out of Lovejoy High School, Hutchins is part of a military family, where his grandfather is an Army veteran, while two of his brothers are products of the USMA and USMMA.

Luke Billings: Texas A&M right-handed pitcher Luke Billings committed to Houston on June 19, per his social media. The Prosper native and two-time first team all-state selection out of Prosper High School made three relief appearances for the Aggies as a freshman in 2026, which began with his three-strikeout collegiate debut against Houston on April 14. He drew a walk in his lone plate appearance against Lamar on Feb. 24.

Will Howell: Memphis right-handed pitcher Will Howell committed to Houston on June 23, per his social media. Across 69.2 innings in 2026 in a transition out of the bullpen, the Pine Bluff, Ark. native went 6-6 with 52 strikeouts and five quality starts out of the Tigers’ rotation as a redshirt sophomore. Out of Pine Bluff High School, Howell was rated a top-10 right-hander and top-25 overall player in the state for his class. 

Kade Bing: Texas left-handed pitcher Kade Bing committed to Houston on July 3, per his Instagram. A native of West, Bing compiled a 4-1 record with a 3.67 ERA and 27 strikeouts over two seasons with the Longhorns and 11 starts of his 18 overall appearances. After returning in March from a shoulder injury, Bing went 1-1 with four strikeouts and held opponents to a .226 average over nine innings as a junior in 2026. Prior to Texas, he went 9-2 with a 3.33 ERA and 75 strikeouts over 70 ⅓ innings, including 11 starts, as a freshman at McLennan Community College in 2024.

Andrew Rondini: Rutgers right-handed pitcher Andrew Rondini committed to Houston on June 19 per his social media. The New Milford, Conn. native held a 2.16 ERA with 20 strikeouts over 25 innings for the Scarlet Knights in 2026 before missing the remainder of his sophomore campaign due to injury. In two seasons, Rondini went 5-0 with a 3.58 ERA and 39 strikeouts in his career at Rutgers.

Garrett Nail: Texas A&M-Kingsville right-handed pitcher Garrett Nail committed to Houston on June 12 per his social media. As a junior at the Division II level, Nail went 6-6 with a 5.72 ERA across 15 appearances for the Javelinas in 2026, including seven starts, two of which were quality. The Sweeny native’s 88 strikeouts in 2026 won him the Lone Star Conference strikeout title and also earned him second team all-conference honors, while finishing top-30 in DII in the split. Prior to Texas A&M-Kingsville, Nail pitched two seasons at the JuCo level across campaigns at Angelina College and Coastal Bend College.

David Roberts: Saint Mary’s left-handed pitcher David Roberts committed to Houston on June 15 per his post on X. As a redshirt freshman in 2026, the Discovery Bay, Calif. native went 2-2 with a 5.10 ERA and 30 strikeouts in 22 appearances for the West Coast Conference champions, mostly in relief. Roberts pitched a scoreless inning in the Gaels’ 6-5 elimination game upset of No. 1-overall national seed UCLA in the Los Angeles Regional on May 31. Prior to Saint Mary’s, Roberts redshirted at Arizona State in 2025.

Garrett Snyder: Notre Dame right-handed pitcher Garrett Snyder committed to Houston on July 1 per his rep Zach Cardenez. In nine relief appearances as a freshman for the Fighting Irish in 2026, the Farmington, Conn. native struck out nine batters while posting a 4.5 strikeout-to-walk ratio. Out of Cheshire Academy, Synder was ranked the No. 4 pitcher and seventh overall prospect in Connecticut for his class.

Jordan Kolenda: Kent State right-handed pitcher Jordan Kolenda committed to Houston on July 22, per his social media, as a graduate transfer after four seasons with the Golden Flashes in which he amassed a career 8-6 record with 81 strikeouts. Over 20 relief appearances as a redshirt junior in 2026, Kolenda went 3-0 with a 5.26 ERA and 19 strikeouts. The Pittsburgh native opened his collegiate career with a 3.12 ERA and 34 strikeouts over 34 ⅔ innings as a freshman in 2023. As a multi-sport athlete out of Avonworth High School, Kolenda was a two-year varsity baseball team captain to go with his four-year letterman tenure, while also a three-year basketball letterman. He was named his school’s athlete of the year as a senior in 2022.

Stone McCaughey: McLennan right-handed pitcher Stone McCaughey committed to Houston on July 22, per his social media, and is the third McLennan alum to commit to Davis. The Hernando, Miss. native spent two seasons with the Highlanders, for which he made seven appearances including a start in 2025. McCaughey subsequently missed his 2026 season due to undergoing Tommy John surgery, but is now over a year in recovery progression. Out of Lewisburg High School, he committed to Ole Miss, where he began his collegiate journey in 2024.

Brady Coe: Abilene Christian right-handed pitcher Brady Coe committed to Houston on June 16 per his post on X. Over two seasons at ACU, the Fairview native and Allen High School alum went 6-3 with a 5.82 ERA and nine career saves in 34 appearances. As a sophomore for the Wildcats in 2026, Coe struck out 28 batters and finished sixth in the Western Athletic Conference in saves with five.

Jakob Schulz: After three seasons at Vanderbilt, left-handed pitcher Jakob Schulz makes his hometown return as the first portal arm to commit to Houston, Davis and pitching coach Jace Hutchins. The Memorial High School alum recorded 25 strikeouts in 19 ⅔ innings of relief as a junior for the Commodores in 2026. Out of Memorial, Schulz was rated the No. 4 left-hander and No. 20 overall player in Texas by Perfect Game.

Alex Yearwood: Native Houstonian and Texas State right-handed pitcher Alex Yearwood is the second participant from the College Station Regional to commit to Houston. An alum of St. Pius X High School, Yearwood recorded 24 strikeouts in 12 relief appearances as a redshirt freshman for the Bobcats in 2026. He pitched a scoreless inning in the College Station Regional 1-0 game against No. 12-national seed Texas A&M on May 30.

Cam Diaz: Graduate right-handed pitcher Cam Diaz will be the second Cardinal and first Lamar arm to follow Davis and Hutchins to Houston out of the portal, after a one-start 2026 campaign cut short by Tommy John surgery. The Lamesa native committed to Lamar and its historic 2025-26 portal class out of Sam Houston, where he logged 46 strikeouts across 17 appearances for the Bearkats, including seven starts, to open his Division I career. Prior to Sam Houston, Diaz began his collegiate career at Howard College, where he went 4-1 with a 4.43 ERA and 86 strikeouts over 13 appearances for the Hawks in 2024.

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.

Blake Fields: Freshman outfielder Blake Fields amassed a .261 average with a .753 OPS, appearing in all 55 games for the Cougars in 2026. A native of Orlando, Fla., Fields committed to Houston out of The First Academy over signing with the Arizona Diamondbacks as the 423rd overall pick of the 2025 MLB Draft. After a freshman campaign in which he drove in 26 runs and posted 13 multi-hit games, including his first career four-hit game on March 1 against Alabama, Fields entered the portal ranked the No. 32 college prospect for the 2028 draft per Over-Slot Sports.

Jackson LaLima: Sophomore infielder Jackson LaLima departs Houston after two seasons with the program and a 2026 campaign that saw late-season excellence out of the nine-hole spot for the Cougars. More than doubling his appearances from his freshman season, LaLima batted .229 with a .758 OPS, along with his first nine career homers and 26 RBIs over 51 games in 2026. The Bradenton, Fla. native committed to Houston out of IMG Academy, where he was ranked the No. 13 shortstop and No. 59 overall player in the state in his class.

McClane Helton: Sophomore outfielder McClane Helton committed to Houston as a JuCo transfer out of McLennan, where he was a member of the Highlanders’ 2025 JuCo World Series semifinals run. In 31 games for the Cougars in 2026, Helton slashed .235/.404/.321 with seven doubles while drawing 20 walks, including a two-out, go-ahead bases-loaded walk against Washington on Feb. 16 that became the difference in Houston completing a four-game sweep of the Puerto Rico Challenge in Ponce. As a freshman at McLennan, the Cypress-Woods High School alum batted .317 with a .981 OPS, six homers, 34 RBIs and 13 multi-hit games of his 54 in 2025.

Justin Cherrington: Sophomore infielder Justin Cherrington committed to Houston as a JuCo transfer out of Yavapai College after a 2025 campaign that bolstered a .424 average and a 1.255 OPS in 55 games for the Roughriders. With a total of 30 extra-base hits, including 12 homers and 15 doubles, Cherrington earned NJCAA All-American First Team honors before beginning his Division I career. The Scottsdale, Ariz. native slashed .211/.360/.368 in 25 plate appearances for the Cougars in 2026, one of which included a pinch-hit run-rule walk-off grand slam against Rice on March 10.

Kendall Hoffman: Sophomore right-handed pitcher Kendall Hoffman departs Houston after two seasons and a 2026 campaign that logged his first five career quality starts, all of which lasted seven or more innings. In doubling his start total from his freshman season, the St. Petersburg, Fla. native and Seminole High School alum went 3-6 with a 4.56 ERA and 55 strikeouts across 79 innings for the Cougars in 2026. Hoffman tossed a career-high 8 ⅓ innings of two-run ball with five strikeouts in his start against Cincinnati on May 2.

Caden Cooper: Freshman right-handed pitcher Caden Cooper committed to Houston as one of three standouts from youth travel organization Marucci Elite Texas. The Stratford High School alum went 2-3 with a 4.60 ERA and 41 strikeouts in 22 appearances for the Cougars in 2026. Cooper started nine games, the bulk of which came in midweek contests, which included tossing a career-high 6 ⅔ innings in Houston’s 9-1 win over Texas A&M-Corpus Christi on May 5 for his first-career quality start.

Caleb Kimble: Freshman two-way player Caleb Kimble committed to Houston out of St. Thomas High School as another Marucci Elite Texas product. In 14 appearances on the mound in 2026, including two starts, Kimble posted a 3.97 ERA with 24 strikeouts across 22 ⅔ innings. As an outfielder, he saw action in 18 games, in which he drew one walk in 10 plate appearances.

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 ⅓ innings for the Cougars in 2026, striking out 44 batters in 15 appearances, including seven starts.

Max McCraray: Freshman left-handed pitcher Max McCraray committed to Houston out of The Woodlands High School, amassing a 2.79 ERA with 11 strikeouts in 19 relief appearances for the Cougars in 2026. His lone winning decision came upon grabbing the final out in Houston’s 6-5 win over Arkansas-Pine Bluff on March 7.

Diego Luzardo: Junior right-handed pitcher Diego Luzardo departs Houston after three seasons with the program, leaving behind a 4-3 record with 6.11 ERA and 44 strikeouts in 38 total appearances for the Cougars, including five starts in 2025. Luzardo committed to the Cougars in time for their inaugural Big 12 campaign out of La Porte High School, where he was ranked a top-25 right-hander in the state of Texas by Perfect Game. He tossed 6 ⅓ innings in nine relief appearances in 2026.

Chris Perez: Sophomore left-handed pitcher Chris Perez departs Houston after two seasons with the program and a 2026 campaign sat out due to Tommy John surgery recovery. As a freshman in 2025, the Taylor native struck out 19 batters across 17 appearances for the Cougars, including one start which saw a career-high 4 ⅓ innings. Prior to Houston, Perez won two District MVP awards in his career at Taylor High School.

Jackson Baker: Junior right-handed pitcher Jackson Baker committed to Houston as a transfer from USC, where he was once part of then-pitching coach Sean Allen’s rotation. He made 15 appearances for the Trojans in 2025, including five starts. Prior to USC, the Austin native and Lake Travis High School product began his collegiate career at Alabama, where he tossed one scoreless inning of relief. Baker departs Houston with a 2-1 record in nine relief appearances in 2026.

Hector Arellano: Redshirt freshman left-handed pitcher Hector Arellano committed to Houston out of Lopez Early College High School in Brownsville, where he won Brownsville Herald/Valley Morning Star Pitcher of the Year award in his senior year in 2025. He did not appear in any games for the Cougars in 2026 due to injury in the fall.

Landon Williams: Redshirt junior utility player Landon Williams committed to Houston for his second season in Division I as a transfer from Prairie View A&M, where he batted a team-leading .376 with a 1.131 OPS, 12 homers and 51 RBIs in 51 games for the Panthers. Prior to Prairie View, the Abilene native began his collegiate career at Grayson College in Denison as an alum of Abilene-Wylie High School. Williams did not appear in any games for the Cougars in 2026.

Colin Fisher: Junior catcher Colin Fisher committed to Houston for his first Division I season out of Midland College, where batted a career .390 with a 1.178 OPS and 49 extra-base hits in two seasons for the Chaparrals. The Ottawa, Canada native did not appear in any games for the Cougars in 2026.

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 an offensive standout from Marucci Elite Texas. Although he saw action in Houston’s Fall scrimmage, Elrod did not appear in any games for the Cougars in 2026.