Baylor Baseball: Rigney, Rogers Enter Portal, Plus New ‘23 Commit
Pitchers Will Rigney (Jr.) and Blake Rogers (Fr.) have entered their names into the transfer portal, according to D1Baseball’s transfer tracker.
Rigney, a fourth-year junior, was elite when healthy and beloved by his teammates. Unfortunately, the Waco Midway product rarely was injury-free. In his four years at Baylor, Rigney made just 22 appearances on the mound and had two season-ending injuries.
In 2023, Rigney had the second-lowest ERA on the team (4.18), made eight starts and struck out 42 batters in 32.1 innings pitched.
Rogers, a true freshman from California, entered the portal to the surprise of the coaching staff. At 6-foot-5, 230 pounds, he was someone that head coach Mitch Thompson spoke very highly of and was looking forward to seeing on the bump next season.
Rogers impressed in the fall and made just four appearances in the spring before suffering a season-ending injury. He tossed only seven innings and had a 7.71 ERA and 2.29 WHIP.
The other players who have already entered the portal include RHP Hambleton Oliver (RHP), LHP Cam Caley (Jr.), RHP Brett Garcia (Jr.), RHP Adam Muirhead (Jr.), 1B/DH Casen Neumann (So.), SS JoJo Medellin (Fr.) and C/DH Walker Polk (Fr.).
Of the 37 players eligible to return for the 2024 season, it’s been noted that around a third of the roster would be finding a new home.
In 2024, college baseball rosters will be expanded to 40, and there is expected to be competition in the fall again.
The 2023 recruiting class now features seven JUCO transfers and 13 freshmen after a late commitment from Cade Tousa, a speedy middle infielder from Saline, Michigan.
It’s yet to be seen what coach Mitch Thompson and his staff will bring in via the portal this summer, but as of two weeks ago, assistant coach Zach Dillon said they expect to add three-to-five “impact players.”
As more players enter the portal or commit, stay tuned for Baylor baseball offseason coverage on SicEm365.