Baylor OF/DH Hunter Simmons enters NCAA transfer portal

Baylor outfielder Hunter Simmons has entered the NCAA transfer portal, On3’s Pete Nakos has learned. Simmons played the past three seasons with the Bears and was a starter.

Simmons played in the outfield during his first two seasons at Baylor before moving to designated hitter in 2025. He batted .307 with 62 hits, 36 RBI, three home runs and an on-base percentage of .395.

During his first year in Waco in 2023, Simmons started 39 games at left field and three as the designated hitter. He racked up 47 hits and four homers with a batting average of .297. He returned as a starter in the outfield the following season but was limited to only five games after suffering a season-ending injury.

Prio to transferring to Baylor, Hunter Simmons played the first two seasons of his college career at Howard College in Big Spring, Texas. He was named the conference MVP as a true freshman after batting .478 with three home runs, 62 RBI and 10 stolen bases.

Simmons played high school baseball at Mansfield (TX). He was named a first team all-conference performer as a senior in 2020.

Baylor is coming off of a 33-22 record this past season and failed to make the NCAA Tournament. Now as they look to bounce back in 2026, they’ll have to do so without one of their key contributors.

The Transfer Portal for NCAA Baseball

College baseball has two separate windows for players to enter the Transfer Portal. The main window is open now. That’s starting in late May, while the NCAA Tournament is underway, and it remains open for a total of 45 days. The other window that college baseball has is open for 15 days in December.

Unlike sports like football, baseball has unique challenges relating to scholarship distribution that coaches need to manage and could impact players as they transfer. With the house settlement passing, roster sizes are about to shrink.

NCAA Division I baseball teams currently get between 11 and 12 scholarships despite the rosters being more than double that size. It means players receive partial scholarships. That means that coaches need to find a way to balance those scholarships with players already on the roster and who they’re bringing in.

According to On3’s Transfer Portal College Baseball Tracker, 3,179 players have enters the portal so far. The On3 Transfer Portal Instagram account and Twitter account are excellent resources to stay up to date with the latest moves.