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NCAA transfer portal players Mississippi State should target to reach lofty goals

Originally posted on Mississippi State Bulldogs on SI
By Taylor Hodges  |  Last updated Jun 6, 2025 2:30 PM ET

It’s a fun time to be in Starkville with Mississippi State’s new baseball coach sparking a level of excitement that hasn’t been seen or felt in a long while.

But with that excitement, the elaborate welcome party held at Dudy Noble Field on Thursday, the $2.9 million salary and the millions that’ll be used in NIL and other resources comes big expectations.

The expectations are clear: national championship or bust.

The quickest way for Brian O’Connor to turn Mississippi State into a title contender is through the transfer portal. And not just any players, but some of the best players in the portal.

Luckily, O’Connor has a pretty big advantage before anything Mississippi State can offer is factored in. Nearly half of the top 10 players in the portal are former Virginia players, where O’Connor was the for two decades.

It’s not a guarantee the former Cavaliers will all come to Starkville (there’s 21 so, all of them won’t be following O’Connor) and there are some players already at Mississippi State that help make the Bulldogs a title contender.

But here are three positions that should be targets for O’Connor and his staff:

Catcher

Ross Highfill’s decision to enter the transfer portal left Mississippi State’s roster without a catcher. So, the Bulldogs are pretty much guaranteed to bring in a catcher from the portal.

The best catcher in the portal, right now, is former Notre Dame catcher Carson Tinney (.348/.498/.753, 17 HR), but former TCU catcher Karson Bowen (.333/.425/.516, 28 RBI) also ranks high among players in the portal. Bringing either of them would definitely help Mississippi State reach its goals.

As for former Virginia players, freshmen Will Broderick and Chone Janes and junior Treyton Wells are all catchers who entered the transfer portal. Wells saw the most playing time of those three last season, starting 16 games and batting .263 in 57 at-bats.

Shortstop

Here’s a spot where a lot of baseball fans expect O’Connor to bring in a former Virginia player. Eric Becker is in the transfer portal after hitting a .368 average, .617 slugging, .453 on-base percentages with 9 home runs, 52 RBIs and nine doubles.

Ace Pitcher

Mississippi State likely won’t have Pico Kohn back next year since he’s seen as a potential MLB Draft pick. But even if Kohn returns, O’Connor will want to bring in as many ace-caliber arms as he can. And, yes, several options were playing for O’Connor last season.

Lefty Bradley Hodges is considered by some to be the best overall prospect in the portal after recording a 4.88 ERA in 27.2 IP with 36 strikeouts and 17 walks in eight starts.

Two-way player Chris Arroyo and left-handed pitcher Tomas Valincius are two highly-rated players in the portal. Fellow lefty Evan Blanco is also in the transfer portal. Don’t be surprised if any of them end up in Starkville.

Those are the three biggest Mississippi State needs, in my amateurish opinion. The Bulldogs might also want to add a first baseman and a couple of outfielders.

And, again, there are former Virginia players who are rated highly. But O'Connor will need to work quickly since one highly-sought after Cavalier has already visited Tennessee this week.

There haven’t been many major commitments, so far. But we’re expecting to start hear some news about transfer commitments very soon.

DAWG FEED:


This article first appeared on Mississippi State Bulldogs on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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