Oregon Baseball Adds Long Beach State Transfer Amongst Portal Mayhem

Coach Mark Wasikowski and the Oregon Ducks have lost five players to the NCAA transfer portal from this past season's group that made it all the way to the Austin Super Regional:

Junior right-handed pitcher Collin Clarke
Redshirt sophomore infielder Tyler Holley
Sophomore catcher Burke-Lee Mabeus
Freshman right fielder Angel Laya
Freshman designated hitter Naulivou Lauaki Jr.

Oregon baseball Mark Wasikowski walks back to the dugout during the game against UCLA at PK Park in Eugene, April 19, 2025 | Chris Pietsch/The Register-Guard / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

With the negatives of the portal hitting the Pacific Northwest baseball program hard due to Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL) issues affecting most sports outside of football, Oregon has had to look elsewhere across the nation to replace its previous young talent at the plate.

Jake Evans Transfers to Oregon

Here comes junior infielder Jake Evans from Long Beach, California, who committed to the Ducks, announcing on his Instagram. He has spent the last two seasons with his hometown Long Beach State Dirtbags.

In the 2026 season, Evans hit .364, three home runs, and 16 runs batted in across 36 games played, including 33 starts. He was named to the All-Big West Conference Second Team after finishing with a .483 on-base percentage and .542 slugging percentage.

Two Additional Names Added to Oregon's 2027 Roster

Joining Evans in the offseason transfer haul, Oregon has brought on both NCAA Division II's University of Tampa Spartans senior outfielder Jake Books as well as Vanderbilt Commodores sophomore infielder Carter Johnstone.

Books' consulting partner, Weisz Partners Athlete Consulting, posted about this move back up the collegiate ladder on X. This comes off the high with Tampa winning the NCAA Division II college baseball national championship.

Before his time with Tampa, Book started out his collegiate baseball career with the Sun Belt Conference's Coastal Carolina Chanticleers for his first three years at the Division I level from 2023 to 2025.

Vanderbilt second baseman Carter Johnstone (3) forces out Eastern Michigan designated hitter Kevin Krill (38) on a double play hit by Tristan Crane during the third inning at Hawkins Field in Nashville, Tenn., Wednesday, Feb. 18, 2026. | ANDREW NELLES / THE TENNESSEAN / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

On top of that, Johnstone is looking for a more meaningful and impactful chance to see the field under Wasikowski with the Ducks. Vanderbilt, the 2019 College World Series champions, failed to touch postseason play this past season for the first time since 2005.

Even during a disastrous outcome of a campaign with the SEC powerhouse, Johnstone only had 52 plate appearances in 18 games played for the Commodores during the 2026 season.

Oregon’s Ian Umlandt pitches against the Toledo Rockets at PK Park in Eugene, Saturday, Feb. 15, 2025. | Chris Pietsch/The Register-Guard / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Oregon's Ian Umlandt Will Remain With Program

Luckily in the chaotic portal, Oregon's pitching staff hasn't been messed with. Senior left-handed pitcher Ian Umlandt announced on his Instagram that he will be returning to Eugene, Oregon.

Umlandt, across four seasons at PK Park, has an 11-2 overall record in 109.0 innings pitched across 42 appearances. That includes 79 strikeouts to 39 walks given up during his career with the Ducks, looking to continue his reliability in a pinch out of the bullpen.

Oregon pitcher Tanner Bradley waits along the first baseline in front of a row of “Ks” for strikeouts amassed by the pitching squad during the game against Washington State on day two of the NCAA Eugene Regional Tournament at PK Park in Eugene, May 30, 2026. | Chris Pietsch/The Register-Guard / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Multiple School Pitching Records Broken by Ducks

As a whole unit, Oregon's pitching staff broke the program record for single-season strikeouts this past year at 676. That's 124 more than the previous record set in 2024.

A chunk of that came behind a stellar sophomore season from relief pitcher Tanner Bradley, who finished with the third-highest amount of strikeouts at 84. Plus, his 0.81 WHIP ended up being the new single-season school record with the Ducks.

Perfect Game named Bradley to its All-American Third Team. He was invited to USA Baseball's collegiate training camp this summer, along with sophomore starting pitcher Will Sanford and freshman catcher Brayden Jaksa.

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