Three UCLA Baseball Players Who Could Enter Transfer Portal

UCLA Baseball is officially in the offseason, which means some players may enter the transfer portal.

Jun 14, 2025; Omaha, Neb, USA; UCLA Bruins head coach John Savage on the field before the game against the Murray State Races at Charles Schwab Field. Mandatory Credit: Steven Branscombe-Imagn Images | Steven Branscombe-Imagn Images

UCLA baseball has had a rough 96 hours after being eliminated from the College Baseball World Series.

UCLA was the number one team in the country all season long, and finished the regular season with a 48-7 record and a 28-2 record in the Big Ten. UCLA would head into the Big Ten Tournament as the number one seed in the conference and would win each game with a walk-off and win its first Big Ten Championship.

Jun 17, 2025; Omaha, Neb, USA; UCLA Bruins head coach John Savage (22) walks to the dugout before the restart of the game against the LSU Tigers at Charles Schwab Field. Mandatory Credit: Steven Branscombe-Imagn Images | Steven Branscombe-Imagn Images

UCLA would be the betting favorite for the College World Series as they were the number one overall seed. However, due to injuries and inconsistency, they fell to their first-round opponent, Saint Mary’s. The Bruins would be placed in the losers' bracket of the regionals and would play Virginia Tech in an elimination game.

Luckily, the Bruins would beat the Hokies to avoid elimination, but would face the Gaels once again. The Bruins would start the first five innings in control of the game, taking a commanding 5-2 lead. However, the bats went silent, recording just two hits over the final four innings, which led to Saint Mary’s mounting a comeback and winning in extra innings.

Jun 16, 2025; Omaha, Neb, USA; UCLA Bruins head coach John Savage walks off the field before the game against the LSU Tigers at Charles Schwab Field. Mandatory Credit: Dylan Widger-Imagn Images | Dylan Widger-Imagn Images

Now that the season is over, many on the roster will need to think about their futures, whether entering the MLB Draft or potentially the transfer portal. With that in mind, let's look at a few players who might decide to enter the portal.

Landon Stump - Pitcher

Jun 16, 2025; Omaha, Neb, USA; UCLA Bruins starting pitcher Landon Stump (14) throws against the LSU Tigers during the first inning at Charles Schwab Field. Mandatory Credit: Steven Branscombe-Imagn Images | Steven Branscombe-Imagn Images

Stump was outside the top 100 coming out of high school in the 2023 recruiting class and has been with the Bruins since then. Stump has been a good pitcher and very reliable, as he appeared in 18 games and started 13.

However, with players such as Wylan Moss finishing his sophomore year and Angel Cervantes finishing up his freshman season, they will get bigger roles in the rotation and battle for the number one pitcher role next year. Stump will enter next year as a senior and will most likely not want to play behind anyone, wanting more opportunities to be an ace pitcher.

Blake Balsz - Catcher

Jun 14, 2025; Omaha, Neb, USA; UCLA Bruins head coach John Savage watches the team warm up before the game against the Murray State Races at Charles Schwab Field. Mandatory Credit: Steven Branscombe-Imagn Images | Steven Branscombe-Imagn Images

Last year with the Bruins, Balsz appeared in 45 games and made 40 starts during his true sophomore season. Balsz was a prime candidate to be a key backup catcher for Cashel Dugger as well as a starting designated hitter. However, Balsz suffered a season-ending injury back in March and didn't see the field this year.

Dugger is projected to return, and others have taken his spot as a designated hitter; he might not want to be a backup for another year and would prefer more playing time as a catcher.

David Mysza - Shortstop

Jun 14, 2025; Omaha, Neb, USA; Murray State Racers head coach Dan Skirka and UCLA Bruins head coach John Savage meet with umpires before the game at Charles Schwab Field. Mandatory Credit: Steven Branscombe-Imagn Images | Steven Branscombe-Imagn Images

Mysza just finished up his redshirt freshman season with just five game appearances this year. The shortstop was a highly touted player coming out of high school, but it was going to be hard to find time on the field playing behind the number one prospect in Roch Cholowsky.

While Cholowsky is projected to leave for the MLB Draft, Aiden Aguayo is likely to be the next man up, which could leave Mysza in a tough position and lead him to the portal.