16 hours ago
Florida baseball gets commitment from RHP Cooper Walls via transfer portal
Florida baseball added another player to its 2026 roster this week with the commitment of right-handed pitcher Cooper Walls through the NCAA transfer portal.
The rising sophomore competed on behalf of the Hawaii Rainbow Warriors of the Big West during his lone collegiate campaign so far, earning the conference's Freshman Pitcher of the Year in 2025. Walls put together a 3-3 record and a 3.73 ERA over 60 1/3 innings pitched, starting 13 of the 15 games he appeared in.
While his 1.39 WHIP is a bit on the elevated side, he allowed just two home runs last spring while striking out 45 batters against 15 walks surrendered.
According to Jacob Rudner of Baseball America, the 6-foot-5-inch, 215-pound product of Carlsbad (California) La Costa Canyon has a three-pitch arsenal featuring a fastball that reaches as high as 93 mph along with two breaking ball options in a slider and a curveball. Walls was ranked the No. 99 right-handed pitcher and No. 328 overall prospect in the 2024 recruiting class by Perfect Game.
Walls is the third pitcher added to the Gators' roster through the transfer portal, following former Notre Dame Fighting Irish right-hander reliever Ricky Reeth and former UCF right-hander reliever Russell Sandefer. Overall, he marks the fifth commitment to the program through college baseball's de facto free agency system, which also includes former Wabash Valley (JUCO) catcher AJ Malzone and former Jacksonville Dolphins outfielder Jaden Bastian.
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