Wake Forest Baseball Reloads Through Transfer Portal Ahead of 2026 Season

The Wake Forest Demon Deacons cleverly utilized the transfer portal to make their roster better ahead of the 2026 college baseball season.

The Wake Forest baseball team celebrates after Wake Forest infielder Marek Houston (7) hits a home run during a NCAA regional baseball game between the Cincinnati Bearcats and Wake Forest Demon Deacons at Lindsey Nelson Stadium in Knoxville, Tenn., on June 1, 2025. | Angelina Alcantar/News Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

While the cold temperatures of winter have yet to transition to spring, it’s almost time for the college baseball season to begin. For the Wake Forest Demon Deacons, who are coming off the heels of their fourth consecutive regional appearance, the 2026 campaign presents an opportunity to prove to the masses that Demon Deacon baseball is here to stay.

With a decent chunk of last year’s production returning, the Wake Forest coaching staff didn’t have to overhaul the roster to make this team competitive. In fact, the Deacs added only five players through the transfer portal, with at least two of them set to become meaningful contributors right from the start. That’s not to say all five won’t have some sort of role — head coach Tom Walter brought them in for a reason, after all — but two, in particular, appear ready to jump right in for the team’s first game against Houston on Feb. 13 in Puerto Rico.

Boston Torres Brings Breakout Potential

VMI transfer Boston Torres returned to the lineup against West Virginia on Oct 26, 2025. | Wake Forest Athletics

If there’s going to be a breakout star from Wake Forest’s transfer portal class, it’s Boston Torres. His .337/.465/.580 slash line, paired with 11 home runs and 67 RBIs from a season ago at VMI, jumps off the page, even if not many people were talking about him as the potent bat that he is. That likely has more to do with where he was doing it than how he was doing it. VMI went 27-26 last season and doesn’t carry a massive athletics footprint, which allowed Torres’ production to fly somewhat under the radar.

Nonetheless, he’s a stud.

In D1Baseball’s preseason preview of the Demon Deacons, Torres was named one of the site’s “picks to click.” If he’s able to carry over last year’s production to the bigger stage that is the ACC, it won’t be long before he becomes a major talking point in college baseball circles. More importantly for Wake Forest, he’ll be helping the Demon Deacons stack wins day in and day out — which is exactly why he’s in Winston-Salem in the first place.

Cameron Bagwell Strengthens an Already Formidable Rotation

Wake Forest’s strength is going to be its starting rotation. Led by Blake Morningstar, an established ace who will give the Demon Deacons a great chance to win every Friday, the team is in good hands on the mound. What made the rotation even better was the addition of UNC Wilmington transfer Cameron Bagwell, a sophomore right-handed hurler who posted an impressive 9-2 record with a 3.07 ERA over 15 starts last season. He struck out 62 and walked just 17 in a freshman campaign that showed the college baseball world he had what it takes to compete with the best of the best.

With the one-two punch of Morningstar and Bagwell, Wake Forest will always have a chance on Fridays and Saturdays. So long as the offense picks up its end of the slack, the Demon Deacons should find themselves on the winning end more often than not.

Other Transfer Additions

Wake Forest also added Blake Schaff, Jackson Miller, and Tyler Figueroa through the portal, but none are projected to crack the Opening Day lineup as of now. Schaff, a junior shortstop from Georgetown, likely has the best chance of entering the fold at some point given his production last season — he recorded a .344/.442/.476 slash line with 11 doubles and 35 RBIs — and the possibility that freshman JD Stein, one of the best shortstop prospects from last year’s recruiting class, experiences some first-year growing pains. Both are solid options, however, so the Demon Deacons should be in good hands at the infield’s most important position.

Then there’s Miller and Figueroa. Miller, a sophomore outfielder from Ole Miss who appeared in just five games with the Rebels last season, adds much-needed depth to the outfield group. The same can be said for Figueroa, who at Appalachian State last year posted a .271/.383/.457 slash line over 54 games, split between center field, left field, third base, and second base. He is a player Walter can rely on to step in and fill whatever need is required at a moment’s notice.

What’s Next for Wake Forest Baseball?

The Demon Deacons will start the 2026 season in the Puerto Rico Challenge against Houston on Feb. 13. First pitch is scheduled for 9:30 a.m. ET. Wake Forest will then face Washington on Feb. 14 and Indiana State on Feb. 15 before heading back to Winston-Salem to take on High Point on Feb. 17.