The Texas Tech baseball team’s roster building for the 2027 season continued over the weekend and on Monday, June 8, with three new additions from the NCAA transfer portal.
Right fielder Xavier Perez from Houston, shortstop-third baseman K.J. Scobey from South Carolina and relief pitcher Jase Evangelista from Nevada-Las Vegas made commitments to the Red Raiders. Each of the three announced his pledge on social media.
Combined with first baseman Caston Thompson from Nicholls State, they give the Red Raiders four pending newcomers from other four-year schools.
Perez, a 6-foot, 205-pound third-year sophomore from Corpus Christi Veterans Memorial, started 54 games this season for a Houston team that finished 24-31. He batted .288, 9 home runs, 36 runs batted in and 14 stolen bases in 17 attempts. With a strong outfield arm, Perez also had 7 assists for the second year in a row, taking part in 3 double plays.
In 2025, Perez hit .305 with 9 homers and 48 RBIs, all team highs, and 10 stolen bases in 11 attempts. He started his college career by redshirting in 2023 at Texas State, then didn’t play in 2024. He bats and throws righthanded.
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.
Evangelista went 4-1 with a 6.17 ERA this season with UNLV, helping the Rebels go 30-25. In 19 appearances, all in relief, the 6-2, 200-pound right-hander from Riverside, California, had 64 strikeouts in 46⅔ innings and 18 walks.
Evangelista began his career with two years at Washington, with whom he made a combined 19 relief appearances and two starts in 2024 and 2025. He went 1-1 with a 4.98 ERA as a freshman, striking out 22 in 21⅔ innings, and was 1-1 with an 11.25 ERA as a sophomore, striking out eight in 12 innings.
The NCAA transfer portal is open for undergraduate players from June 1 through June 30. Players don’t have to choose a new school by the end of the month, but undergrads who wanted to transfer with immediate eligibility elsewhere next season must have their names in the portal this month.
This article originally appeared on Lubbock Avalanche-Journal: UH, UNLV, South Carolina players pledge to Texas Tech baseball
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
