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Bulldogs loading up: Ranking Mississippi State’s top baseball transfers

Originally posted on Mississippi State Bulldogs on SI
By Taylor Hodges | Last updated Jul 3, 2025 5:00 PM ET

Has there ever been a more optimistic feeling about Mississippi State’s baseball program than right now?

OK, let’s remove the feelings before that College World Series final where it felt like the Bulldogs were destined to beat Vanderbilt for its first national championship.

You’ll be hard-pressed to find a Mississippi State fan who doesn’t think this baseball team will be in Omaha next year, if not win the whole thing.

ICYMI: Mississippi State's Ace Reese reportedly (again) to return to Starkville

And that’s before new coach Brian O’Connor has finished putting together his first roster in Starkville.

More moves are expected to come from the portal based on current needs and needs that arise after the MLB Draft on July 13. So, while it’s a tempting exercise, creating a projected starting lineup and pitching rotation for next season is a fruitless exercise. (Note: If you’ve made one, don’t take that personal. You’re just more confident than I am not knowing what happens with the MLB Draft to make a public prediction.)

So, while we wait for the Bulldogs that get drafted to decide if they’ll go pro or return to Starkville, let’s take a step back and look at Mississippi State’s current transfer portal class.

Below you’ll find my ranking of my favorite transfer portal additions. These are the transfers that A) I think can best fill a position of need and B) just bring something interesting to the table.

The current transfer portal class sits at 15 players as of Thursday afternoon. Here are my five favorite (so far) transfer portal additions, listed in alphabetical order. You may have a different opinion and that’s completely fine. You can find me on the site formerly known as Twitter and Facebook to let me know how wrong I am.

Blake Bevis, 1B/RHP, R/R, Ball State

2025 stats: .301/.369/.615, 68 H, 13 2B, 2 3B, 18 HR, 52 RBI, 18 BB, 52 SO

Mississippi State’s all-time home run leader, Hunter Hines, is gone and leaves a hole at first base in the field and power bat in the lineup. Enter Bevis, a power-hitting first baseman. In three seasons at Ball State, Bevis has hit 41 home runs and drove in 146 runs. His batting average dipped last season (.310 in 2024) but Bevis improved in almost every other category, most notably drawing more walks and striking out less.

Kevin Milewski, C, R/R, Seton Hall

KEVIN MILEWSKI WALK OFF HR#HALLin⚪️ #NeverLoseYourHustle pic.twitter.com/hZtW9A2iId
— Seton Hall University Baseball (@SHUBaseball) May 9, 2025

2025 stats: .303/.421/.606, 57 H, 7 2B, 1 3B, 16 HR, 58 RBI, 36 BB, 46 SO; .979 FP, 8 CS, 5 E

At one point in the last month Mississippi State didn’t have a single scholarship catcher on its roster. It had a commitment from former Virginia utility Chone James, who has experience behind the plate. So, catcher was a huge positional need for Mississippi State and Kevin Milewski fills that need (as does Jackson Owen withdrawing from the transfer portal). Milewski and Owen will likely the catchers with the most playing time, but James could provide a rest or let Milewski be the designated hitter if he needs a break.

Aidan Teel, OF, L/R, Virginia

2025 stats: .317/.442/.538, 59 H, 20 2B, 7 HR, 40 RBI, 31 BB, 30 SO, 9 SB; 1.000 FP, 0 E

How much of a need the outfield positions will be largely determined by who chooses to go pro after the MLB Draft and who decides to return to Starkville. Ignoring that, though, outfield was always going to be a position of need for Mississippi State, and O’Connor was able to bring one of the best outfielders with him to Mississippi State. Teel is draft-eligible, but based on this interview he did with 247Sports, it sounds like he’ll be wearing maroon and white next spring.

Tomas Valincius, LHP, Virginia

Caught him looking

: ACCNX | #GoHoos pic.twitter.com/mL4qMoc2a1
— Virginia Baseball (@UVABaseball) May 11, 2025

2025 stats: 5-1, 4.59 ERA, 64.2 IP, 64 H, 33 ER, 17 BB, 70 SO, 13 2B-A, 1 3B-A, 5 HR-A, 4 WP, 5 HBP

Many people assumed that when O’Connor was hired as Mississippi State’s next coach several former Cavaliers would follow him to Starkville. Once the Virginia players decided to enter the transfer portal, it only became a matter of time before some committed to Mississippi State. Among the players most coveted, Valincius was at the top of the list. Great pitching wins championships and the freshman out of Illinois has the stuff to be the Bulldogs’ Friday night starter next season.

Drew Wyers, SS, R/R, Bryant

Drew Wyers says goodbye!! @_BryantBaseball extends their lead to 6-2 on the 3-run shot in the 5th!#AEBASE x #NCAABaseball pic.twitter.com/4Dk0oWlxOQ
— America East (@AmericaEast) May 25, 2025

2025 stats: .407/.521/.710, 59 H, 11 2B, 11 HR, 50 RBI, 26 BB, 17 SO; .959 FP, 7 E

Go ahead and reread that stat line and think about the types of baseball players that have posted .400 or better batting average. Sure, it’s not Ted Williams in the majors, but anyone posting that average (and slash line) knows how to put the bat on the ball. For that reason alone, Wyers may be my favorite transfer portal addition. He also fills a position of need, especially with the uncertainty around the MLB Draft. Can Wyers duplicate that slash line against SEC-caliber competition? I have no evidence to back this up beyond my gut instinct, but I think he can.

Honorable Mention:

OF James Nunnallee (Virginia)
C/INF Chone James (Virginia)
INF Vytas Valincius (Illinois)
INF Ryder Woodson (NC State)
RHP Maddox Webb (The Citadel)
RHP Jackson Logar (James Madison)
RHP Tyler Pitzer (South Carolina)
LHP William Kirk (Virginia)
RHP Brendan Sweeney (South Carolina)
RHP Davion Hickson (Rice)

Yes, that is the rest of Mississippi State's transfer class. Sue me, but not really. I do like this transfer class. Whenever I make my way-too-early-Omaha-8 list, the Bulldogs will be on it.