Ole Miss freshman LHP Wes Mendes enters NCAA transfer portal

Ole Miss left-handed pitcher Wes Mendes has entered the NCAA Transfer Portal. He only spent one season with the Rebels.

In his lone season at Ole Miss, Mendes made 14 appearances and two starts, tallying 24.2 total innings pitched. He recorded 34 strikeouts while holding opponents to a .306 batting average. He finished his debut campaign with an 8.39 ERA.

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Wes Mendes played high school baseball at Jesuit High School (FL), where he was the No. 92 overall prospect and No. 13 left-handed pitcher in the 2023 recruiting cycle, according to Perfect Game. He led his team to the state championship his junior year.

Ole Miss finished the 2024 campaign with a 27-29 overall record and an 11-19 mark in conference play. The team’s season came to an end in a 2-1 loss to Mississippi State in the SEC Tournament.

The Rebels have now failed to reach the NCAA Tournament two seasons in a row — a stark contrast from Ole Miss’ run to a national championship in 2022. Mendes was the 14th Ole Miss player to enter the transfer portal since the end of the season.

Despite the Rebels’ recent spiral, Ole Miss head coach Mike Bianco still believes in his program.

“We don’t make it the last couple years, but I think this year, we’re a couple wins away,” Bianco said. “Again, I don’t wanna go through the RPI and strength of schedule and all of those different things. We have to be better and we will be. We’ve always responded and we will again.”

Former Tennessee RHP Derek Schaefer transfers to Arizona State

Mendes isn’t the only freshman pitcher from the SEC who entered the transfer portal after the season. On July 1, Tennessee right-handed pitcher Derek Schaefer entered the NCAA Transfer Portal. He ultimately committed to Arizona State.

In his lone season at Tennessee, Schaefer made 10 appearances and two starts, tallying 8.2 total innings pitched. He recorded 10 strikeouts, allowed nine runs and threw two walks. He finished the season with a 9.35 ERA.

Derek Schaefer played high school baseball at Cactus Shadows High School (AZ), where he was the No. 223 overall prospect and No. 66 right-handed pitcher in the 2023 recruiting cycle, according to Perfect Game.

Schaefer did not see action in Tennessee’s NCAA Tournament run to its first-ever national title. The Volunteers finished the season with a 60-13 overall record and a 22-8 mark in conference play.