Florida State baseball adding to roster through transfer portal, who's in, who's out

While the Major League Baseball draft currently takes center stage, college baseball's transfer portal is reshaping some of the top contenders in the country.

Including Florida State .

Stars like James Tibbs III and Cam Smith are off to the Majors after being first-round selections in the 2024 MLB Draft and a handful of players have hit the transfer portal.

The Seminoles have been making up for its losses in the transfer portal, bringing in 14 players from both junior college (JUCO) and other Divison One programs.

As roster shakeup continues, here is a look at the ins and outs of the FSU baseball roster.

Ole Miss transfer pitcher Wes Mendes leads transfer portal class

After completely overhauling the roster in the transfer portal last summer, FSU head coach Link Jarret is once again dipping into the portal to bolster his roster. Finishing the season 49-17 and making it to the Final Four in Omaha , Jarrett has seemingly prioritized pitchers in the portal to strengthen the Seminoles' rotation.

One of the biggest splashes in the portal so far is the signing of Ole Miss transfer pitcher Wes Mendes, who was teammates with FSU ace Jamie Arnold in high school at Jesuit Tampa. Coming in as a highly-rated recruit, the left-hander had an up-and-down freshman season holding a 6.82 ERA and striking out 43 batters in 17 appearances for the Rebels.

The upside of Mendes is exciting, especially as a sophomore, but he isn't the only pitcher joining the Seminoles with eight other pitchers committing to the program.

Both from the JUCO and NCAA level, FSU has seven righties joining the program, with Mendes and University of South Florida transfer Joey Volini the only lefty arms.

The right-handers include:

• Evan Chrest, Jacksonville
• Peyton Prescott, Jacksonville
• Grant Cherry, Long Beach State
• Mack Estrada, Northwest Florida State
• Nick Greaney, McLennan
• Aiden Butler, Polk State
• Chris Knier, Indian River State

In the field, FSU has added four field players in the portal, bringing in highly touted JUCO transfer outfielder Chase Williams alongside Texas Tech junior outfielder Gage Harrelson. With Tibbs drafted and Jamie Ferrer likely to sign when drafted, the two transfers are big for the Seminoles outfield depth.

In the infield, Pensacola State's Carter McCulley and Blaydon Plain join the program, with catcher Nathan Cmeyla joining from Dartmouth as a grad transfer.

Seminoles see 10 leave program in the transfer portal

While FSU has been busy with welcoming players into the fold, a number of players have entered the transfer portal with outfielder DeAmez Ross arguably the biggest exit for the Seminoles.

The sophomore was a big utility piece for the program, often coming on to pinch run or step into the lineup when needed. Ross hit a home run in the Seminoles 24-4 blowout of UConn in the Super Regionals and he hit .253 during the season.

Another notable name is sophomore right-handed pitcher Yoel Tejada Jr. In his lone season in Tallahassee, Tejada held a 5.03 era. in 13 appearances this season.

The full list of players in the transfer portal currently includes:

• Titan Kamaka, So., infielder
• Spencer Butt, Fr., infielder
• Riley Jackson, Fr., catcher
• Justin Best, Fr., outfielder
• Matty Davis, Fr., outfielder
• James Hankerson Jr, Fr., infielder
• Lance Trippel, So., infielder
• Matt Sauser, Fr., Right-handed pitcher

Liam Rooney covers preps sports for the Tallahassee Democrat. Contact him via email at LRooney@gannett.com or on Twitter @__liamroone y

This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: Florida State baseball adding to roster through transfer portal, who's in, who's out