Grading the 2025-26 transfer additions for Virginia baseball

Virginia baseball season has come and gone, and in its place, 2027 takes center stage. The transfer portal is officially open — and a tsunami of change is coming for the Cavaliers, the ACC and beyond.

But before diving into the next campaign, it is time to assess how Chris Pollard’s first transfer class performed. He brought on several of his former Duke players but also made additions from other programs. Some of these transfers starred, others were reliable and some have room to improve.

AJ Gracia: A+

Gracia slashed .354/.489/.632 and started in 56 games — he missed four games due to injury. Gracia placed second on the team in walks and tied for second in home runs. He earned Second Team All-ACC honors and is a likely first round selection in the 2026 MLB Draft. An easy A+ for one of Pollard’s headline Duke additions.

Henry Zatkowski: B+

Zatkowski emerged as the ace of this pitching staff. A 4.57 ERA is nothing to write home about, but that mark led all Cavaliers with multiple starts. More importantly, Zatkowski’s WHIP of 1.18 ranked second on the team behind only Tyler Kapa. Also consider that Zatkowski’s numbers would have been stellar without major blowups of five-plus runs against Wagner, California and Jacksonville State. When Zatkowski is in control, he is capable of being a high-quality starter — his 2027 campaign could be magical.

Jake Weatherspoon: B

Weatherspoon only played in 40 of Virginia’s 60 games — a bulk of those absences came from an early injury. When he played, he was a solid defender as he only surrendered four errors. At the plate, Weatherspoon slashed .272/.337/.429. If that seems unimpressive, the Cavalier faithful should remember that they have been spoiled by the rare talents of Kyle Teel and Jacob Ference. Most catchers do not sport a .300 batting average. Weatherspoon is a consistent, playable catcher that helped his young pitchers out with quality framing and blocking.

Joe Tiroly: A+

It took awhile for Tiroly to get going, but once he did, he went on a power surge for the ages. Tiroly had a three-homer day May 10 against California and went on to crush a pair of long balls in the NCAA Tournament. Tiroly ultimately led Virginia in home runs with 16 and ranked second in batting average with a .319 mark. This is a star that Pollard and company would love to have in 2027, but MLB organizations might be thinking the same thing come draft time.

Kyle Johnson: C/C+

Johnson is difficult to assess. On one hand, his pitching debut was delayed until March 20 against Wake Forest out of precaution as Johnson was experiencing a kinetic chain issue. However, he was hit quite hard when he played — he allowed eight home runs in just 38 innings — and produced a 6.87 ERA. Johnson was more productive as a hitter with a .889 OPS, but was out of the lineup for 12 games. The talent is certainly there with Johnson — MLB organizations could scoop him up this offseason — but if he stays on Grounds, 2027 could be the year Johnson showcases his tantalizing ceiling when fully healthy.

Lucas Hartman: A

A man of steel, Hartman made a whopping 37 appearances out of the bullpen this season. He led the team with 10 wins as a reliable option for Pollard. Hartman did tail off towards the end of the season — his ERA rose to a 3.78 — but the overall sample size is strong. He was the only player in the country to be a semifinalist for National Pitcher of the Year and the Stopper of the Year awards.

Max Stammel: D-

Stammel saw action in 19 games and 13 starts, allowing multiple earned runs in 12 of his 19 appearances. He did produce four scoreless outings, but those came against mid-majors. Overall, opponents hit .279 off the sophomore lefty — the worst mark among Virginia’s four main starting pitchers. Stammel issued a team-high 28 walks and gave up the second most hits. He did author an iconic moment though, earning the win against No. 9 Southern Miss with 1.1 scoreless innings Sunday.

Noah Jouras: B+

Jouras quietly produced a .903 OPS in 17 games as a backup catcher. He did what was asked of him, mainly serving as a reliable option with a perfect fielding percentage. His .229 batting average may not jump off the page but he only recorded 35 at-bats. Jouras was a quality reserve for the Cavaliers.

Noah Murray: F

Murray led the team with 57 walks, a mark which is fourth-best in the ACC. However, Murray’s slashline was .161/.376/.310 — good for the lowest OPS of all Cavaliers with more than 50 at-bats this season. Murray started 57 games but produced just five multi-hit performances. Defensively, Murray also committed the team’s most errors with 17.

Sam Harris: A-

Starting 26 more games than his previous season at Duke, Harris was a breakout contributor for the Cavaliers. He tied for second on the team in home runs with 14 and boasted an elite OPS of .929. Unfortunately for Virginia, Harris slumped to produce just two hits in his final 29 at-bats. That late-season slump is the only factor keeping Harris from a clean A.

Tyler Kapa: A

Before coming to Virginia, Kapa was a strikeout artist who had a few rough outings that ballooned his ERA. During his time with the Cavaliers, though, Kapa continued to rack up strikeouts while also keeping his ERA down to a 2.70 mark. Opponents hit just .182 off of Virginia’s closer. Kapa was a strong find by Pollard and his staff.

Zach Jackson: B-/C+

2026 marked the first baseball season Zach Jackson played without double dipping as a football player. Pollard often mentioned that Jackson was still growing into his own as a college baseball player, and it occasionally showed — Jackson’s 69 strikeouts were the second most by a Cavalier. However, he also produced several highlight plays defensively and had a knack for clobbering clutch hits. Jackson could be a major breakout candidate for the 2027 season.

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