Virginia Baseball Lands Commitment From Virginia Tech Transfer LHP Brendan Cowen

Jun 16, 2024; Omaha, NE, USA; The Virginia Cavaliers meet on the field after the loss against the Florida State Seminoles at Charles Schwab Field Omaha. Mandatory Credit: Steven Branscombe-Imagn Images | Steven Branscombe-Imagn Images

Virginia Baseball has made a late transfer portal addition from their rival. Virginia Tech LHP transfer Brendan Cowen announced on social media that he was going to be taking his talents from Blacksburg to Charlottesville to play for Chris Pollard and the Cavaliers.

All Glory to God! Thank you Jesus! pic.twitter.com/kplq9mhKYI

— Brendan Cowen (@BrendanCowen1) August 7, 2025

Cowen played one year for the Hokies and while the stats are not going to wow you (11.25 ERA in seven appearances this past season), but he is a talented arm to add to the pitching staff and it will be interesting to see his role next season for a Cavaliers team that hopes to make it back to the postseason after an absence in 2025.

Earlier this offseason, UVA pitcher Joe Colucci entered the transfer portal. Our own Alex Plonski broke down what that means for the UVA program:

"The 6-foot-5 sophomore, who opened eyes with a lively fastball in 2024 JUCO ball and arrived in Charlottesville as a potential high-leverage arm, will explore options with two seasons of eligibility — and the July MLB Draft — still in play.

Colucci’s debut ACC season never quite clicked. In 15 outings, the sophomore had a 0-3 record and a 9.17 ERA, striking out 17 and issuing seven walks over 17.6 innings. Yet beneath some rough statistics, there was promise. He logged scoreless late-inning relief against Dartmouth, Duke, VCU, and Towson. Colucci was a late-inning weapon waiting to be refined.

Pitching this month for the Bourne Braves, Colucci has posted a 2.61 ERA with no home runs allowed—a wood-bat turnaround that has mid-round draft chatter percolating among scouts stationed in Falmouth and Cotuit.

New head coach Chris Pollard, hired on June 18 after Brian O’Connor’s surprise departure, was counting on Colucci to push for seventh- or eighth-inning work in 2026. Instead, the Cavaliers have watched a string of arms walk out the door:

With Colucci gone, Pollard’s returning staff is anchored by veteran Jay Woolfolk and a handful of untested sophomores. Expect UVA to be aggressive in the second transfer-portal window as it tries to rebuild late-inning depth before fall practice."

Hartman is going to replace some of the quality that has gone in the transfer portal and the roster for Pollard's first season in Charlottesville is starting to take shape."

This has turned out to be a solid transfer portal class and combined with the talented high school prospects they have brought in, it might be a big bounce back season for UVA in 2026.