Every year the Sunbelt proves to be one of the top college baseball conferences in the country. With the elite coaching and competition on the field, it’s no surprise players are wanting to transfer into the league. Let’s dive in to the Top 8 Sunbelt transfers and also where they land amongst all transfers heading into the 2026 season.
#1 Jordan Taylor | Coastal Carolina
Coming in at #149 in our transfer portal rankings we have Jordan Taylor, a right fielder who initially started his college career at Florida State before transferring to Stetson for the 2025 season. Last season with the Hatters he hit .322 with 16 doubles, 8 home runs, and 43 RBI. Jordan features a unique combination power while also having a good amount of speed as exemplified by his perfect 22/22 on stolen bases. Whether he’s at the plate or on the base paths this kid is a total pest for pitchers in the best possible way, and I fully expect to see his style of play flourish with the Chants in 2026.
#2 Daniel Gonzalez | South Alabama
Former University of Louisiana-Monroe RHP Daniel Gonzalez is transferring to South Alabama for 2026. Last season for the Warhawks he held a 5.14 ERA in 56 innings pitched, picking up a 4-2 record across 13 starts. He has a high ride fastball that comes out of a funky over the top slot which has the ability to induce a lot of weak contact. His biggest struggle last season came in the form of free-90’s surrendering 31 walks. However if he can narrow that command down he has the potential to pick up a lot of meaningful outs for the Jaguars. Daniel checks in at #150 in our transfer portal player rankings.
#3 Nico Azpilcueta | Troy
Coming to the Sunbelt by way of the Stony Brook Seawolves we have #165 ranked Nico Azpilcueta. Nico spent the 2024 season earning 1st team All-American honors while at Ohlone College where he hit .342 with 12 home runs and a 1.110 OPS. Following his year at Ohlone he transferred to Stony Brook where in 2025 he hit .320 while mashing 14 doubles and 20 home runs in only 194 at bats. This summer he announced he will be terrorizing pitchers in the Sunbelt this season with the Troy Trojans and I personally cannot wait to watch him send baseballs into orbit for them.
#4 James McCoy | Georgia Southern
Former Kentucky 2-way and #167 in our portal rankings, James McCoy, announced he would be joining the Georgia Southern Golden Eagles for the 2026 season. In his three years with the Wildcats he hit .237 with 18 doubles and 13 home runs in 346 at bats. On the mound for the Wildcats he held a minuscule 1.74 ERA in 20.2 innings pitched, in which he picked up 13 strikeouts. He’s coming off of an incredible summer in the Northwoods where he hit .362 with 6 doubles, a triple, and 4 home runs in just 94 at bats. James feels like the type of player who has been knocking on the door of a breakout season for a while now and I don’t see any reason why 2026 wouldn’t be that year for him.
#5 Blake Dean | Troy
Former Kansas State pitcher Blake Dean checks in at #172 in our portal rankings. In his two years with K-State he held a 5.36 ERA in 92.1 innings pitched in which he picked up an even 100 strikeouts. He is also coming off a solid summer playing for the Johnson City Doughboys of the Appy League, where he held a 3.48 ERA in 10.1 innings pitched holding a 8/1 strikeout to walk ratio. He has a fastball that sits in the low-90’s that he pairs with a crisp low-to-mid 80’s slider, along with a really effective spiked curve that has a ton of depth. His arsenal is just jam packed with swing and miss stuff that I’m sure will come up huge for the Trojans this season in big moments.
#6 Tommy Egan | Troy
Sticking along with the trend of talented new Troy Trojans, we have #183 ranked Tommy Egan who is transferring from University of Illinois Chicago. Last season he held a 5-2 record with a 4.76 ERA in 51 innings pitched. He struck out 43 batters while only walking 19 for the Flames. Over the summer he played for the Wareham Gatemen where he tossed 2 perfect innings for the Gatemen while picking up a win and 3 strikeouts. He’s one of those pitchers who can throw just about any pitch in any count for a strike which makes him a prime candidate to get some big innings for the Trojans.
#7 Ross Norman | Coastal Carolina
Moving along to #222 in our portal rankings we have Ross Norman, a 6’7 RHP who is transferring to Coastal Carolina from Georgia State. Last season he held a 7.68 ERA across 16 appearances and 12 starts. He went 5-8 on the season, where in 68 innings pitched he picked up 68 strikeouts. Ross has featured a fastball that has been low-to-mid 90’s with what looks like pretty minimal effort, I wouldn’t be surprised after a summer of development to see that fastball up a few ticks this season for the Chants.
#8 Ahmar Donatto | Louisiana
To round us out, coming in at #241 in our transfer portal rankings is Ahmar Donatto, who is transferring to the Louisiana Ragin’ Cajuns from Prairie View A&M. Last season he hit .376 with 14 doubles, 5 triples, and 8 home runs. What’s unique about Ahmar is the fact that aside from catcher, he has the versatility to play anywhere on the field—the guy can do a bit of it all. Over his two seasons with A&M he picked up 22 strikeouts in 27.1 innings pitched while holding a 2-5 record. He also presents a real threat on the base paths, picking up 26 stolen bases and 62 runs scored. Ahmar is the type of player that just becomes a spark plug for any offense and it’ll be fun to see how the Cajuns handle his skillset in 2026.