Florida lands commitment from Hawaii RHP transfer Cooper Walls

Florida has landed a commitment from Hawaii right-handed pitcher Cooper Walls. Walls posted news of his commitment to his Instagram account on Tuesday afternoon.

The 6-foot-5, 215-pound pitcher was recently named the Big West Freshman Pitcher of the Year for his efforts during the 2025 season. He was outstanding.

Cooper Walls made 15 total appearances, with 13 of them starts. He put together a 3.73 ERA and struck out 45 batters in 60.1 innings of work. He walked only 15.

That work load exposed him to a lot of hitting. While Walls gave up 69 hits, he limited the damage to 25 earned runs, showing a knack for getting out of tricky situations. Opponents hit .292 off him this season.

He will help bolster a Florida bullpen that includes some serious arms already. The team is expected to get back a healthy chunk of its starting rotation, but Cooper Walls could still push for a spot if he can handle the increased level of competition.

Florida lands Jacksonville outfielder

Cooper Walls isn’t the only recent transfer portal addition for Florida. Former Jacksonville OF Jaden Bastian, one of the top available names in the NCAA Transfer Portal, has reportedly committed to Florida, according to Baseball America’s Jacob Rudner. Bastian finished the 2025 season slashing .302 with 11 home runs, 10 doubles, five triples, 33 RBI and 36 stolen bases.

Now the Jacksonville product will look to do even more in Gainesville beginning next season. Bastian will have two seasons of eligibility remaining.

Bastian played 97 games over two seasons at Jacksonville, batting a combined .288 with 91 runs scored, 17 home runs, 58 RBI, and 47 stolen bases.

On3’s Alex Byington also contributed to this report.