Image credit: Jay Johnson (Photo by Eddie Kelly / ProLook Photos)

Each fall, Baseball America takes stock of new faces in new places in college baseball.

Between the transfer portal and traditional freshman recruiting classes, college teams have multiple avenues to improvement. Transfers from other schools are more likely to make an impact in their first season, but there are always a handful of freshmen who establish themselves as household names in year one.

To get the most accurate read on which college programs have the best incoming talent on their roster heading into 2025, BA has combined each program’s transfer haul and recruiting class—as determined by the 2024 BA 500 draft ranking—to come up with an overall ranking of newcomers.

1. Louisiana State

Top 100 transfers: 9
BA 500 freshmen: 9

As they have done every season, the Tigers again dominated the transfer portal to bring in the deepest class of any school in the country.

The pitching LSU brought in—headlined by righthander Anthony Eyanson (6-2, 3.07 ERA at UC San Diego)—is their biggest strength, though second baseman Daniel Dickinson (.367/.469/.661 at Utah Valley) is also a potential day one draft pick and will hit in the top-third of the lineup.

LSU head coach Jay Johnson and his staff also brought in nine players ranked inside the BA 500 for the 2024 draft. Baton Rouge prep righthander William Schmidt (No. 22 overall) is the crown jewel of the class, followed by Houston prep righty Casan Evans (No. 100).

LSU’s fresh faces have the program in prime position to compete for a national championship not only in 2025, but for years to come.

SEE THE RANKINGS

2. Texas A&M

Top 100 transfers: 7
BA 500 freshmen: 5

It was a whirlwind offseason for Texas A&M, which hired former hitting coach Michael Earley as its head coach after Jim Schlossnagle took the same job at Texas. Earley and his staff immediately got to work and netted seven top 100 transfers on top of bringing high-end prep talent to College Station.

The Aggies’ transfer position players—especially catcher Connor Harrison (.322/.410/.541 at St. Mary’s) and third baseman Wyatt Henseler (.360/.465/.755, 22 home runs at Pennsylvania)—are the stars of the portal class, but lefthander Myles Patton (4-3, 3.26 ERA at Long Beach State) projects as a weekend starter.

Six-foot-four Fort Worth HS shortstop Sawyer Farr (No. 76) had top-two-rounds draft interest and will compete for the shortstop job, while tooled-out Atlanta prep outfielder Terrence Kiel II (No. 133) projects as another future impact player.

3. Arkansas

Top 100 transfers: 8
BA 500 freshmen: 4

Arkansas has a lengthy track record of bringing impact talent to campus, and this year is no different. On top of a fantastic portal haul that includes eight of the top 100 transfers, the Razorbacks bring to campus a quartet of players who ranked on the final iteration of the BA 500.

Lefthanders Landon Beidelschies (6-7, 4.15 ERA at Ohio State) and Zach Root (6-2, 3.56 ERA at East Carolina) are the strength of Arkansas’ class of newcomers, but Oklahoma prep fireballer Carson Wiggins (No. 78), who is the younger brother of former Razorback and current Cubs prospect Jaxon, will be in contention to log a handful of innings as a freshman.

Former New Mexico JC standout third baseman Brent Iredale (.441/.576/1.000) ranked No. 464 on the BA 500, and is already off to a fast start this fall.

Following a disappointing end in 2024, Arkansas has reloaded and looks the part of a national championship contender.

4. Tennessee

Top 100 transfers: 4
BA 500 freshmen: 11

The Volunteers enjoyed one of the best seasons in college baseball history in 2024, capped by the program’s first national championship. Their winning didn’t stop on the field.

On top of landing a pair of top 10 transfers in shortstop Gavin Kilen (.330/.361/.591 at Louisville) and third baseman Andrew Fischer (285/.397/.643 at Mississippi), they netted the nation’s top recruiting class.

Armed with a whopping 11 players who ranked on the BA 500, Tennessee heads into 2025 eyeing its third straight trip to the College World Series.

High school righthanders Tegan Kuhns (No. 57 out of Pennsylvania) and Anson Seibert (No. 99 out of Kansas) both appear to be in line for significant innings, while Georgia prep outfielder Jay Abernathy (No. 137) and Florida prep shortstop Manny Marin (No. 157), the latter of whom is a defensive standout, headline the group of freshman position players.

Lastly, keep an eye on former Weatherford JC righthander Tanner Wiggins (No. 385) as the sleeper of the Vols’ extensive class of newcomers.

5. Auburn

Top 100 transfers: 5
BA 500 freshmen: 9

Simply put, Auburn head coach Butch Thompson and his staff crushed the offseason.

After back-to-back NCAA Tournament appearances in 2022 and 2023, Auburn failed to make the Field of 64 last season. Now, led by their excellent class of newcomers, Auburn appears to have a much higher ceiling in 2025.

Former East Carolina outfielder Bristol Carter (.346/.406/.440) has the tools to be a dynamic leadoff hitter, while former Florida lefthander Cade Fisher (No. 5 overall transfer) could get the chance to earn the Friday starter role.

As strong as its transfers are, Auburn’s recruiting class is among the best in college baseball. The Tigers’ nine players in the BA 500 are tied for the second most in the top 10. It’s a class that’s led by a pair of top 100 players from the Alabama high school ranks: outfielder D’Marion Terrell (No. 92) and righthander Connor Gatewood (No. 97).

Due in large part to its fresh faces, Auburn has the bones to be an SEC darkhorse this spring.

6. Texas

Top 100 transfers: 4
BA 500 freshmen: 8

It was an eventful offseason in Austin. After dismissing head coach David Pierce, Texas rocked the college baseball world when it hired Jim Schlossnagle, the 2016 College Coach of the Year, away from Texas A&M.

Schlossnagle and his staff got to work immediately, bringing in both a strong transfer class and one of the deepest recruiting classes in the country.

No. 7 overall transfer Easton Winfield (.332/.414/.546 at Louisiana-Monroe) is an outfielder and the highest profile player of the bunch, while Ethan Mendoza (315/.367/.443 at Arizona State) projects to be the Longhorns’ every day second baseman.

The biggest strength of this group of newcomers is undoubtedly the freshman class. It’s a well-rounded group headlined by a trio of pitchers: Texas prep righthander Jason Flores (No. 143), North Dakota prep righthander Drew Rerick (No. 169) and California prep lefthander Dylan Volantis (No. 211).

While Flores and Rerick have better “now” stuff, the 6-foot-6 Volantis has arguably the highest ceiling of the trio. The Longhorns were bounced last season in the College Station Regional, but next season they will boast a dynamic blend of new and returning talent.

7. Georgia

Top 100 transfers: 6
BA 500 freshmen: 5

Year one in Athens was a resounding success for first-year Georgia head coach Wes Johnson. He was named SEC coach of the year, and the Bulldogs appeared in their first super regional since 2008.

Johnson and Co. could be just getting started.

Georgia both reloaded in the transfer portal and hit the jackpot with its top recruits, all three Georgia high school products. None of shortstop Erik Parker (No. 135), third baseman Cade Brown (No. 206) or outfielder Michael Mullinax (No. 218) were drafted.

Led by former Texas-Arlington second baseman Ryan Black, Wofford catcher Daniel Jackson and Miami (Ohio) third baseman Ryland Zaborowski, the Bulldogs’ transfers will do most of the heavy lifting when it comes to newcomer reps.

8. Wake Forest

Top 100 transfers: 4
BA 500 freshmen: 3

A year ago, Wake Forest scored impact transfers Chase Burns and Seaver King and entered 2024 as the preseason favorites to win the national championship. It was an up-and-down season for the Demon Deacons, who were upset at the Greenville Regional.

Wake Forest lost the vast majority of its firepower to the 2024 draft. Burns, Nick Kurtz and King were first-round picks, while Josh Hartle and Michael Massey went inside the top five rounds.

To help rebuild, Wake Forest head coach Tom Walter and company put together a high-impact transfer class and a strong group of recruits.

The headliner of the Deacs’ newcomer class is tooled-out outfielder Ethan Conrad (.389/.467/.704 at Marist), but former Missouri righthander Logan Lunceford (No. 42) and former Tennessee lefthander Matthew Dallas (No. 71) are also top 100 transfer arms.

The Demon Deacons have a pair of dynamic freshman righthanders in New Jersey’s Chris Levonas (No. 74) and California’s Duncan Marsten (No. 95). Levonas has some of the best pure stuff of any freshman in the country, and Marsten is not too far behind.

9. Oregon

Top 100 transfers: 4
BA 500 freshmen: 4

Oregon rather quietly was able to put together perhaps the most complete class of newcomers of any team in the Big 10 Conference. Its four top 100 transfers are tied for the fourth most nationally, while head coach Mark Wazikowski also landed a quartet of recruits ranked in the BA 500.

There isn’t necessarily a stud headliner within the transfer class, but 6-foot-9 righthander Jason Reitz (No. 43 at St. Mary’s) looks the part of a future day two draft pick.

The Ducks’ highest-profile recruit was Las Vegas prep catcher Burke-Lee Mabeus (No. 199). The physical switch-hitter has power from both sides of the plate and could be the starting backstop by 2026.

With an exciting blend of returning talent and fresh faces, Oregon has its sights set on reaching Omaha for the first time since 1954.

10. Mississippi

Top 100 transfers: 1
BA 500 freshmen: 8

It’s no secret that the last two seasons have been a struggle for the Rebels.

After winning their first-ever national championship in 2022, Ole Miss has failed to make the NCAA Tournament in each of the past two seasons. Now, it enters 2025 with one of the most impressive recruiting classes in college baseball.

Six-foot-three shortstop and reigning New York state Gatorade player of the year Owen Paino (No. 87) is Mississippi’s headliner on paper, but righthander Cade Townsend (No. 153) or California prep lefthander Cooper Johnson (No. 455) could have the highest ceilings of the bunch. Regardless, with eight BA 500 prospects, a number of freshmen are in line for prominent roles this spring in Oxford. Former Louisville outfielder Isaac Humphreys (.310/.412/.565) is the Rebels’ lone top 100 transfer.