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Jacksonville transfer OF Jaden Bastian commits to Florida out of NCAA Transfer Portal

by:Alex Byington•06/14/25•

_AlexByington

Syndication: Florida Times-Union
Jacksonville outfielder Jaden Bastian (8) beats the tag at third base from Florida utility Bobby Boser (6) during the fifth inning of an NCAA baseball matchup Monday, Feb. 17, 2025 at Jacksonville University in Jacksonville, Fla. Florida defeated Jacksonville 10-4. [Corey Perrine/Florida Times-Union]

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 elgibility 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.

Bastian is the fourth transfer to commit to the Gators since the portal opened earlier this month, joining right-handed pitchers Ricky Reeth (Notre Dame) and Russell Sandefer (UCF), and junior college catcher AJ Malzone.

To keep up with the latest players on the move, check out On3’s Transfer Portal wire. 

The On3 Transfer Portal Instagram account and Twitter account are excellent resources to stay up to date with the latest moves.

Gators land commitments from three players out of the NCAA Transfer Portal

Sandefer committed to the Gators on June 6, one day prior to Reeth and Malzone.

Sandefer has made 29 collegiate appearances, 14 of those being starts, with a year in Division II before moving up to Division I. He played at Saint Leo University as a freshman before spending his sophomore season this past year at UCF. He has a 7-5 record with the two programs, posting an ERA of 3.36 with 88 strikeouts in a total of 96.1 innings.

In his lone season with UCF, Sandefer played in 18 games, with six starts and a 2-3 record. He had an ERA of 3.38 and 49 strikeouts in 50.2 innings in which he pitched.

Malzone batted .347 with 10 homers, 58 RBI and a .602 slugging percentage over 58 games in 2025, according to Pro Baseball Radar. In 2024, Malzone brokeout as a freshman, batting .372 with 8 homers and 42 RBI over 55 games, including hitting .349 with 5 home runs and 26 RBI across 27 conference games.

Meanwhile, Reeth posted a 4-2 record, 4.31 ERA and 43 strikeouts against 12 walks in 22 appearances in 2025, allowing 23 earned runs and 44 hits in 48 innings. Reeth made 17 appearances in 2024 with one start, finished the year with a 2-4 record with a 5.21 ERA and 38 strikeouts over 48.1 innings of work.

— On3’s Sam Gillenwater contributed to this report.