Arkansas transfer commit Jackson Wells signs with Houston Astros

Arkansas was hoping to bring right-handed pitcher Jackson Wells onto the roster for the 2025 season. Head coach Dave Van Horn landed Wells out of the NCAA transfer portal, previously playing for Little Rock. Instead, Wells has is getting his professional career underway.

Per Kendall Rogers of D1 Baseball, the Houston Astros have signed Wells to an undrafted free agent deal. The 2025 MLB Draft ended on Monday and a few hours later, Wells was off the market. Great news for him but a tough blow for the Razorbacks.

“FREE AGENT SIGNING: Little Rock RHP Jackson Wells, who committed to [Arkansas] out of the portal, will sign a Free Agency deal with the [Houston Astros], I’m told,” Rogers said via X.

Wells pitched in 17 games this season, getting through 87.1 innings. He finished with an ERA of 5.36 over 16 starts. That’s lower than what he got out of the 2024 season with Little Rock, showing improvement.

Opposing batters finished with an average of .279 against Wells, once again a better number than before. Strikeouts nearly hit the triple-digit range as 97 were fanned, compared to just 35 walks. Ten home runs came against Wells too, not giving up too much power.

Most of Wells’ appearances came against mid-major programs. However, we got a good look at him against the future national champions, the LSU Tigers. Wells went out there twice against LSU in the NCAA Tournament and certainly struggled. He combined for 8.1 innings, 11 hits, six earned runs, seven strikeouts, and one walk. Redemption may have been available if Wells decided to continue his college career.

Looking at a positive outing for Wells — he threw one complete game and on a massive stage. Little Rock faced Southern Indiana to kick off their Ohio Valley Conference Tournament journey, with first pitch scheduled for 9 a.m. In what could have been a long week for the bullpen, the Trojans got a massive boost by only sending Wells out there.

He gave up six hits but only one run while striking out eight and walking two. Those are the type of performances the Astros will be looking for out of Wells moving forward. The competition level may go up a step or two but the potential is certainly there. Wells will start his journey in the coming weeks as Houston sends most draft picks to rookie ball following the college baseball season.