Wildcats Daily

Second Northwestern Baseball Player Enters Transfer Portal

The Wildcats will need to hit the portal after losing two key position players.
Gavin Dorsey|
April 25, 2025, Evanston, IL: A game between Northwestern Baseball and Washington at Rocky and Berenice Miller Park in Evanston, IL on Friday, April 25, 2025.
April 25, 2025, Evanston, IL: A game between Northwestern Baseball and Washington at Rocky and Berenice Miller Park in Evanston, IL on Friday, April 25, 2025. | Photo: Henry Frieman/Northwestern Athletics

Northwestern had a strong bounce-back season in head coach Ben Greenspan's second year at the helm, but the Wildcats could look very different next year after some key departures.

On Friday, NU baseball insider Anna Watson of The Daily Northwestern reported that Wildcat outfielder Preston Knott is entering the transfer portal for his final year of collegiate eligibility.

The Arlington, Texas, native began his career at Charleston, then spent one year at Northern Oklahoma College-Tonkawa before transferring to Northwestern in 2024. Over the past two seasons, Knott played 100 games for the Wildcats with 92 starts, primarily in left field.

Knott's .276 batting average ranked third on the team in 2024, when he also had six home runs and an .860 OPS. Despite hitting .245 this season, Knott started 51 of the team's 52 games and helped Northwestern to its best record by win percentage since 2005.

The transfer comes a day after Northwestern infielder Trent Liolios reportedly entered the portal ahead of his senior season. In addition to Knott and Liolios transferring, the Wildcats are set to graduate starters Tyler Ganus, Bennett Markinson and Jacob Hand from their lineup. Northwestern is also projected to lose senior pitchers Crawford Wade, Sam Hliboki and Blake MacMillan.

Northwestern went 25-27 this season, including 13-17 in conference play. The 'Cats narrowly missed the Big Ten Tournament on a tiebreaker, but the year-over-year improvement is a good sign for a program that hasn't had a winning record in a season since 2000.

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Gavin Dorsey
GAVIN DORSEY

Gavin Dorsey is the Lead Writer for Northwestern Wildcats On SI and covers a handful of other teams in the On SI network. Before joining On SI in February 2025, he wrote for the Star Tribune and Inside NU while broadcasting college sports for both radio and television. Dorsey is a graduate of Northwestern's Medill School of Journalism, where he also studied psychology. In his free time, he enjoys running and being outdoors. Dorsey is currently a freelance writer for the Associated Press, covering Chicago area sports teams.

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