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Ole Miss

Ole Miss lands transfer from Grand Canyon left-handed ace Grant Richardson

FaceProfileby: Thomas Goldkamp06/12/25
NCAA Baseball: Hattiesburg Super Regional
Ole Miss head coach Mike Bianco walks from the pitching mound as his team plays Southern Miss in Game 1 of a NCAA Super Regional game at Pete Taylor Park. Ole Miss won, 10-0. Mandatory Credit: Chuck Cook-USA TODAY Sports

Ole Miss has landed a very talented left-handed pitcher out of the NCAA transfer portal. Grand Canyon’s Grant Richardson is headed to join Mike Bianco and the Rebels, according to a post on his Instagram account.

Richardson did not play in 2025 after undergoing Tommy John surgery. But he was one of the top pitchers in the country in 2024. During his sophomore season with the ‘Lopes, Richardson worked his way from the bullpen to the starting rotation. He started eight contests and put together a 5-1 record on the season.

The 6-foot-3, 220-pound lefty had the highest strikeout rate per nine innings in Grand Canyon history at 12.43 (minimum of 50 innings). He was lights out, striking out 70 in 50.2 innings worth of action. He walked 30 and finished with an ERA of 3.73.

In the process, Richardson held WAC batters to just .194 hitting, the second-best mark in the conference. He was a part of four combined shutouts, all occurring in conference play. That was a significant improvement from his freshman season, when Richardson went 1-0 with a 6.55 ERA. He struck out 29 in 22.0 innings of work, allowing nine walks.

Bottom line: He’ll be an extremely quality addition for the Ole Miss program. Of course, getting back into form after undergoing the Tommy John procedure will be key.

Ole Miss loses a catcher to the portal

While the Rebels will add Grant Richardson, Ole Miss catcher Campbell Smithwick has entered the NCAA transfer portal, On3 has learned. He does so after spending two seasons with the Rebels.

Smithwick was a part-time starter for Ole Miss this season, appearing in 40 games and starting 27 of them. He was a productive hitter.

In 110 at-bats, Campbell Smithwick put together a .282 average at the plate. He hit five doubles and five home runs, driving in 23 RBI. He also drew 24 free passes — 17 via walk and seven via hit by pitch.

In addition to his ability at the plate as a hitter, Smithwick has also proven a very capable defensive catcher. He’s made only three errors in two years in his 50 starts and 67 total appearances behind the dish. Smithwick boasted a .994 fielding percentage as a sophomore in 2025.