How Oklahoma State Baseball’s Latest Transfer Could Boost Pitching Staff

After landing a hitter in the transfer portal, the Oklahoma State Cowboys now have their second pitcher.

Tyler Wood, who played at Wake Forest last year as a freshman, announced his intention to transfer to the Cowboys on Instagram on Wednesday. The 6-3 hurler is from Lee’s Summit, Mo., and was considered the state of Missouri’s No. 3 prospect and No. 2 pitcher when he came out of high school last year.

Wood didn’t pitch much for the Demon Deacons last year. He pitched in four games, all in relief, and had a 27.00 ERA. He allowed four hits and seven earned runs in 1.1 innings as he struck out three and walked seven. Curiously, batters only hit .200 against him.

Where Tyler Wood Could Fit at OSU

The Cowboys have already lost some pitching depth naturally, as left-hander Brennan Phillips and right-hander Mario Pesca are out of eligibility. Both were key pitchers down the stretch for the Cowboys. Oklahoma State has also lost four pitchers to the transfer portal, though none of them were part of the regular rotation by season’s end.

Two big pieces of the rotation down the stretch are set to return. Left-hander Ethan Lund was named an all-region selection recently and right-hander Stormy Rhodes grew into a solid weekend starter the final month of the season. Right-hander Noah Wech, along with Pesca, served as the Cowboys’ main relievers down the stretch. He should be the closer going into the season.

There is at least one opening in the weekend rotation for Wood, another transfer or a current Cowboys pitcher to compete for this fall. The additional transfer defections mean opportunities also exist in the bullpen. Wood should be a candidate in both areas.

The Cowboys’ other two portal additions including Morehead State infielder Aubrey Kearns, who was selected first-team all-Ohio Valley Conference after he finished with a slash line of slash line of .387/.622/.471 with a 1.093 OPS in 2026. He should help the Cowboys recover some of the lost offense from the graduations of Aidan Meola and Colin Brueggemann.

The other is former Utah pitcher Kaden Soder. He went 3-0 with a 4.84 ERA as he struck out 28 and walked 12 in 22.1 innings with the Utes. He was at community college the two seasons prior.

The only former Cowboys player to find a home in the transfer portal so far is catcher Quinn Schambow who has committed to Illinois. The other five OSU players in the transfer portal include pitcher Josiah Golden, catcher Brady Francisco, pitcher Caden Sramek, pitcher Ty Kennedy and pitcher Cael Turnerz

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