Oregon outfielder Naulivou Lauaki Jr. is nearing a decision after spending the last two weeks in the transfer portal. On Saturday, the No. 6-ranked Ucommitted designated hitter, according to D1Baseball, posted a top three of Georgia, Florida and Texas A&M on his TikTok account.
The 6-foot-5, 265-pound rising redshirt sophomore has some serious pop in his bat. He helped the Ducks get to the Super Regionals with a .321/.370/.687 slash line, 14 home runs and 37 RBI over 41 games this season. There are some strikeout concerns with a 40.4 K% and a 4.8 BB%, but the power tool is plus by every definition. On average, the ball left his bat at 98 mph, per D1Baseball.
Georgia is the hotter landing spot for recruits right now, but Florida remains a top destination for transfers. Over the past few years, Kevin O’Sullivan has seen success with two-way players, namely Jac Caglianone and Caden McDonald. Lauaki was the top-ranked right-handed pitcher in Utah coming out of high school. Tommy John surgery forced him to redshirt in 2025, and he focused on hitting this past season.
If Lauaki is set on returning to the mound, Florida has a proven track record of success in that department. Caglianone and McDonald both came back from Tommy John surgery, so O’Sullivan has some experience. Not to mention, Florida brought in an elite pitching coach in Rich Dorman this offseason.
There is no timeline for Lauaki to decide his landing spot, but narrowing things down to three programs suggests that an announcement is looming.
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This article originally appeared on Gators Wire: Florida lands in top 3 for Oregon transfer portal slugger
Reporting by David Rosenberg, Gators Wire / Gators Wire
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By David Rosenberg, Gators Wire | USA TODAY Network
