Former Virginia Baseball Pitcher Evan Blanco Will Reportedly Transfer To Elite SEC Program

Blanco's most efficent season came in 2023 for the Cavaliers. In 24 appearances, Blanco was 1-0 in 23.2 IP with 26 strikeouts and 10 walks while allowing opposing hitters to bat .200. In 2024, Blanco pitched 99.1 innings and finished 8-3 with 99 strikeouts and 27 walks. This past season in Charlottesville, Blanco pitched 39 innings and was 3-5 with a 6.23 ERA. He will now get a chance to compete in the SEC and get the Volunteers to Omaha.

Recently, UVA pitcher Joe Colucci entered the transfer portal. Our own Alex Plonski broke down what that means for the UVA program:

"The 6-foot-5 sophomore, who opened eyes with a lively fastball in 2024 JUCO ball and arrived in Charlottesville as a potential high-leverage arm, will explore options with two seasons of eligibility — and the July MLB Draft — still in play.

Colucci’s debut ACC season never quite clicked. In 15 outings, the sophomore had a 0-3 record and a 9.17 ERA, striking out 17 and issuing seven walks over 17.6 innings. Yet beneath some rough statistics, there was promise. He logged scoreless late-inning relief against Dartmouth, Duke, VCU, and Towson. Colucci was a late-inning weapon waiting to be refined.

Pitching this month for the Bourne Braves, Colucci has posted a 2.61 ERA with no home runs allowed—a wood-bat turnaround that has mid-round draft chatter percolating among scouts stationed in Falmouth and Cotuit.

New head coach Chris Pollard, hired on June 18 after Brian O’Connor’s surprise departure, was counting on Colucci to push for seventh- or eighth-inning work in 2026. Instead, the Cavaliers have watched a string of arms walk out the door:

With Colucci gone, Pollard’s returning staff is anchored by veteran Jay Woolfolk and a handful of untested sophomores. Expect UVA to be aggressive in the second transfer-portal window as it tries to rebuild late-inning depth before fall practice."