Virginia Tech Catcher Anderson French To Enter Transfer Portal
BLACKSBURG, Va. — Virginia Tech catcher Anderson French announced his intentions to enter the transfer portal following the conclusion of the 2026 college baseball season. He announced the news himself via Twitter/X. French will have two years of eligibility remaining.
Entering the transfer portal with 2 years of eligibility left
— Anderson French (@Anderson11fries) June 3, 2026
Anderson French
Catcher / 1B
3.0 gpa
Contact information:
(717) 514-7724
Amfrench11@icloud.com pic.twitter.com/hwouXkfo4Q
After a promising true freshman season for the Hokies where French batted .247 while posting an .818 OPS across 41 games — including 21 starts. He also posted three home runs, but earned his playing time as a guy who would just get on base, walking 21 times compared to 19 hits, posting a .416 on-base percentage.
After that promising freshman campaign, French didn't see the field much as a sophomore. He played in 28 games, starting 14, before the end of April, but he did not see the field at all after Virginia Tech's 14-1 midweek win against JMU on April 28th. That marked the end of his season. A bulk of his appearances came as a pinch-hitter down the stretch, logging only 10 at-bats over eight games in April. French was contending with a loaded catcher room, stuck behind entrenched starter Henry Cooke and freshman CJ Oxendine.
His numbers took a substantial dip as well. French's batting average dropped 90 points to a .157, though the walks never went anywhere. In fact, they increased. As a freshman, French walked on 20.8% of his plate appearances, taking a full-point-plus jump to 22.1% as a sophomore. The downside was not only the average, but also the ability to make contact. French struck out on 44.1% of his plate appearances as a sophomore, a 14.1% jump from 30% the season before.
He also had trouble making strides defensively. The coaching staff rarely trusted him behind the dish, opting to move him around at first and place him behind the plate in late-game blowout situations.
With the lack of playing time down the stretch, French is a player that many Virginia Tech fans anticipated to enter the portal, given that he was a prospect regarded highly enough to be listed as the No. 144 prospect in the 2024 MLB Draft before opting to remove his name and come to campus.
With everything said and done regarding his tenure at Virginia Tech, French is a toolsy player who could find success with a change of scenery. French is the third player to announce his intentions to enter the transfer portal, joining left-handed pitcher Chase Swift and right-handed pitcher Ben Weber.
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