Texas A&M’s 2026 offseason began just hours after the Aggies’ back-to-back losses to USC in the College Station Regional, placing pressure on second-year coach Michael Earley to make changes to his staff, starting with firing pitching coach Jason Kelley, which came to fruition just days after the program’s postseason exit.
After a host of interviews, Earley hired MLB pitching coach/coordinator Barry Enright, whose background as a developer, despite lacking college coaching/recruiting experence, led to his hire over several notable names, and just weeks after Enright made his way to College Station, Earley shocked the college baseball landscape after bringing back ace recruiter and associate head coach Nolan Cain, who spent the last two seasons with Texas.
Cain is expected to coach catchers and made an immediate impact in the transfer portal, as South Carolina transfer pitcher Logan Prisco committed just hours after the news of Cain’s return dropped. So far, the Aggies have landed eight players from the transfer portal, led by former Clemson catcher Nate Savoie, who ESPN ranked No. 2 in its portal rankings on Thursday.
“Savoie was a standout freshman at Loyola Marymount who moved to Clemson in the portal at this time last year due in large part to a 20-home run season and plus raw power. His exit velos were even a notch better in 2026, going deep 16 times for Clemson, but the Tigers failed to make the NCAA tournament. Savoie has some chase concerns at the plate and he split time mostly between catcher and left field so his defensive eval behind the plate is incomplete.”
With veteran catcher Bear Harrison expected to depart for the MLB, combined with the Aggies’ top hitters, Caden Sorrell, Gavin Grahovac, and Chris Hacopian, landing Savoie was critical to avoiding a significant drop off at the plate, knowing that incoming sophomores Nico Partida, Jorian Wilson, and Boston Kellner were still developing.
Coming in at No. 39, Texas State transfer RHP Wade Cooper, who will be draft-eligible in 2028, is one of the most intriguing offseason additions. He ended his impressive freshman season with a 4.72 ERA, five saves in 66.2 innings pitched, and 73 strikeouts, and will immediately contend for a starting role this fall.
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This article originally appeared on Aggies Wire: 2 Texas A&M newcomers make ESPN’s baseball transfer rankings
Reporting by Cameron Ohnysty, Aggies Wire / Aggies Wire
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By Cameron Ohnysty, Aggies Wire | USA TODAY Network
