This story was updated on June 22 with new information.
The NCAA transfer portal for undergraduate players is open from June 1 through June 30, and once again the Texas Tech baseball program has a lot of work to do.
The Red Raiders missed the NCAA tournament for the third year in a row and posted back-to-back losing seasons for the first time since 2008-10. Tech went 27-28 this year and 10-20 in the Big 12, making the 12-team conference tournament as the bottom seed before a first-round exit.
Tech needs pitching help, having posted a 7.92 team earned-run average, and a lineup that ranks first in the Big 12 and 11th in NCAA Division I in runs per game will lose key players.
Left fielder Logan Hughes, designated hitter Caden Ferraro and catcher Matt Quintanar are likely to be drafted, and draft-eligible sophomore third baseman Conner Shouse could be, too. First baseman Robin Villeneuve and second baseman Tracer Lopez completed their eligibility, and shortstop Linkin Garcia was an immediate portal entrant.
Players who want to transfer and be eligible elsewhere right away don’t have to pick a new school during the portal period, but they must have their names entered during that window.
Players who have graduated may have their names entered into the portal at any time, and players affected by a head-coaching change also have extra time outside the June window.
We’ll monitor Texas Tech player movement here.
Players leaving Texas Tech baseball via the transfer portal
Transfer intentions for the following players have been announced by the players themselves, reputable outlets such as D1Baseball and 64Analytics, or by Texas Tech athletics personnel.
Lukas Pirko, RHP: Pirko spent the past two years with the Red Raiders after his freshman season at Cal Baptist. He went 0-4 with a 7.25 earned-run average in 2025 and 3-3 with a 6.17 ERA in 2026. He fronted the Tech rotation for six weeks, from March 6 through April 10, but missed the Red Raiders’ last five Big 12 series and the conference tournament because of injury.
Connor Shouse, 3B-RF-RHP: Shouse earned first-team all-Big 12 recognition after he batted .366 with 10 home runs and 66 runs batted in, ranking eighth in the conference in the latter category. It was Shouse’s first year at Texas Tech after he transferred from Georgia Tech. Shouse started 53 games: 30 at third base, 11 in right field, six as designated hitter, five in left field and one pitching. He made 11 pitching appearances, going 1-0 with a 5.87 earned-run average and 3 saves.
Will Jordan, RHP: Jordan has announced his plan to transfer to Oklahoma State. The sophomore from Weatherford spent his first two college seasons pitching out of the Red Raiders’ bullpen. In 12 relief appearances in 2025, he went 2-1 with a 4.97 ERA and a save. In 14 relief appearances this season, he went 1-0 with a 4.19 ERA but missed the last six weeks of the season with an injury. In the two years combined, he had 39 strikeouts in 32 innings and 26 walks.
Jake Spindler, RHP: The freshman from Walkill, New York, made five relief appearances and yielded four earned runs in four innings for a 9.00 ERA.
Jace Souza, OF: Souza has announced he’s transferring to Southern California. The sophomore from Honolulu spent his first two seasons with the Red Raiders and was hampered by injuries both years. In 2025, he played in nine games, starting seven, and batted .222 with 1 RBI. In 2026, he hit .171 with 4 RBIs.
Tommy Hanger, INF: The freshman from Toronto, Ontario, played in six games this season, going 1-for-5 with 2 runs batted in.
Heeryun Han, RHP: The junior righthander from South Korea went 0-2 with an 11.15 ERA this season in 19 relief appearances. It was his first year at Tech after he transferred from Los Medanos (Calif.) College.
Jorden Espinoza, LHP: Espinoza spent his first two college seasons with the Red Raiders, going 0-0 with a 13.50 ERA in 2025 and 1-1 with a 12.38 ERA in 2026. He made 23 career appearances with one start.
Davis Rivers, C: Rivers announced he’s committed to Louisiana-Monroe after spending three seasons at Tech. The Waller product batted .286 with 2 home runs and 13 RBIs in 19 games in 2024, hit .221 with 5 homers and 26 RBIs in 40 games in 2025, and batted .295 with 3 homers and 14 RBIs in 20 games this season.
Linkin Garcia, SS: Garcia announced he’s transferring to Texas after one year with the Red Raiders. He made the Big 12 all-freshman team after batting .338 with 4 home runs and 59 RBIs. He started every game, 30 at shortstop and 25 at third base.
Hollis Porter, 1B-DH: Porter left the team early in the season after playing in only four games and going hitless in seven at-bats. He was a much-anticipated transfer after hitting 21 home runs with Maryland in 2025.
Luke Orfi, SS-3B: Orfi left the team early in the season after playing in seven games and going hitless in two at-bats. He signed with Tech after making NJCAA World Series appearances with two teams, racking up 56 stolen bases with Georgia Highlands in 2024 and 45 stolen bases with Florida SouthWestern State in 2025.
Players joining Texas Tech baseball via the transfer portal
Tate Foxson, RHP, UNLV: Foxson made 15 relief appearances this season, going 0-2 with an 8.27 earned-run average. The 6-foot-5, 200-pound righthander struck out 20 in 16 1/3 innings. The Pacific Palisades (Calif.) Charter graduate spent his first two college seasons at Butler, producing composite stats of 31 appearances, six starts, a 2-3 record and a 12.64 ERA.
Fernando Palencia, RHP, San Diego: Palencia went to Arcadia (Calif.) High School and spent his first two college seasons at San Diego. In 2025, over 21 appearances that included one start, he went 0-1 with a 5.84 ERA and 1 save. In 2026, over 15 appearances with 7 starts, he went 2-4 with a 7.59 ERA. USD listed him as 5-10 and 175 pounds.
Owen Jenkins, C, Kentucky: Jenkins played in 40 games this season, starting 38 for a Wildcats team that went 33-23 and reached the final of West Virginia’s regional. The 6-foot-2, 215-pound freshman hit .242 with 1 home run, 17 RBIs and went 9 for 9 on stolen bases. Among freshmen who made it to campus in 2026 rather than turn pro, the Lexington (Ky.) Catholic product was ranked No. 4 by Perfect Game and No. 35 by D1Baseball. He bats and throws righthanded.
Hagen Hacker, LHP, Central Oklahoma: Hacker is switching sports after he spent the 2023 through 2025 seasons in the Division II Central Oklahoma football program. A wide receiver, he caught 19 passes for 290 yards and 3 TDs last fall.
Ty Kaunas, SS, Maryland: Kaunas started all 56 games for a Maryland team that finished 27-29, earning all-Big Ten freshman team recognition. He batted .286 with 5 home runs and 39 RBIs. He led the team in at-bats (217) and doubles (16) and was second on the team in walks (46). Kaunas, listed by Maryland at 5-foot-11 and 180 pounds, bats and throws righthanded.
K.J. Scobey, SS-3B, South Carolina: Scobey, a 6-2, 200-pound sophomore from Lakeland, Florida, started all 57 games this season for a 22-35 South Carolina team. He hit .252 with 9 homers and 36 RBIs. He made 56 starts in 2024, batting .257 with 8 homers and 27 RBIs while the Gamecocks went 28-29. He bats and throws righthanded.
Xavier Perez, RF, Houston: Perez, a 6-foot, 205-pound sophomore from Corpus Christi Veterans Memorial, started 54 games this season for a Houston team that finished 24-31. He batted .288 with 9 home runs, 36 RBIs and 14 stolen bases in 17 attempts. He also had 7 assists for the second year in a row. In 2025, he hit .305 with 9 homers and 48 RBIs, all team highs, and 10 stolen bases in 11 attempts. He bats and throws righthanded.
Caston Thompson, 1B, Nicholls State: Thompson, listed this season as a 6-foot-3, 235-pound junior, batted .306 with a team-leading 14 homers and 43 RBIs, second on the team. He bats and throws lefthanded. Nicholls State went 25-26 overall and 15-13 in the Southland Conference.
Note: Former UNLV pitcher Jase Evangelista originally pledged to Texas Tech out of the portal, but switched his commitment to Texas A&M.
This article originally appeared on Lubbock Avalanche-Journal: Texas Tech baseball portal tracker | Lukas Pirko latest on way out
Reporting by Don Williams, Lubbock Avalanche-Journal / Lubbock Avalanche-Journal
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Don Williams, Lubbock Avalanche-Journal | USA TODAY Network
