Inside Miami Baseball's Roster Overhaul: Key Transfers, Draft Risks, and Returning Stars

The Miami Hurricanes football and basketball teams aren’t the only major programs reshaped by comings and goings/the transfer portal. It also will very much be a reshaped roster for the Canes baseball team that made it oh-so-close to Omaha this past season, falling a run short in the decisive game of Super Regionals at Louisville.

J.D. Arteaga’s been hard at work adding talent.

Your rundown on that?

He’s added UNLV RHP Michael Taylor (16 appearances, 2-1, 3.86 ERA), Richmond P Ryan Bilka (18 appearances, 6-2 record, 2.18 ERA), Florida P Frank Menendez (1-0, 1.29 ERA in 5 games before Tommy John surgery; 17 appearances in 2024 with 4.96 ERA), FIU 1B Brylan West (First-Team All-Conference USA, 56 starts, .338, 12 HR), USC Upstate IF Vance Sheahan (61 starts, All-Big South First Team, .328, 12 HRs), Miami-Dade Community College 3B/OF Cian Copeland (52 games, .361, 15 HRs), NC State C Alex Sosa (52 starts, .291, 10 HRs) and Presbyterian catcher Jackson Hugus (brother of Cane P Griffin Hugus, will backup Sosa and can also be a utility infielder, 36 starts, .271, 1 HR).

Two of his prior commitments wound up drated and signed to go pro – that was FIU ace Easton Marks (first team C-USA, 3-3 record, can throw in high 90s, had 3.49 ERA with 72 strikeouts in 67 innings) and Holy Cross ace Danny Macchiarola (9-5, 16 starts, 3.27 ERA, 93.2 innings, 92 strikeouts, .228 batting average against, second team All-Patriot League pick),

In addition there also are several top-ranked high school prospects among the 2025 Miami class that could be poised for major playing time.

The most highly touted? A couple of area guys with Columbus SS Mario Magana and American Heritage 3B Dylan Dubovik plus Canadian 3B Timothy Piasentin, Riverside (Calif.) [Piasentin was a fifth round pick], OF Mason Greenhouse, Bradenton (Fla.) SS Eddie Zaun, Brooklyn (NY) RHP Erick Peralta (has hit 96 mph), Port Chester (NY) LHP Sebastian Santos-Olson and Winter Garden (Fla.) LHP Lonzo Drummond.

And then there are the departures.

It’s expected Brian Walters (2-3, 4.94 ERA, 11 saves) won’t return after he was an eighth round draft pick, and the same goes for ace and third round pick Griffin Hugus (6-7, 4.16 ERA).

There also are several players transferring out: Renzo Gonzalez (62 starts, .257, 11 HRs), Todd Hudson (19 starts, .259, 1 HR), Jake Kulikowski (4 starts, .276), RP Jackson Cleveland (19 appearances, 4.44 ERA), backup C Evan Taveras (.141, 3 HR) and backup C Nolan Johnson (5 hits in 11 at bats).

This all is in the backdrop of a roster that is returning some talent.

Arteaga’s got back one of the nation’s top hitters, Daniel Cuvet (61 starts, .372, 18 HRs, 84 RBI), plus Derek Williams (senior gets extra year as former JUCO player, started 42 games and hit .317 with 9 HRs), Max Galvin (59 starts, .313, 8 HRs), Fabio Peralta (46 starts, .238, 2 HRs) and Michael Torres (42, starts, .231, 1 HR). Plus Jake Ogden wasn’t drafted and is expected back – he hit .336 with nine home runs.

The pitching staff took a big hit, though, as noted above with the departures.

Miami returns a pair of freshmen who started games in AJ Ciscar (10 starts, 4.46 ERA, 6-2 record) and Tate DeRias (7 starts, 5.77 ERA, 2-3 record), and also back are relievers Jake Dorn (11 appearances, 1.98 ERA) and Rob Evans (17 appearances, 4.70 ERA off injury, threw well at the end of the season). Nick Robert will return off Tommy John surgery. So you can see why Arteaga’s been hard at work adding more arms in the portal.

Arteaga built an almost all-new roster this past season, and he’s worked hard to put together the pieces for next year.

Stay tuned.