Washington shortstop Lou Fujiwara enters Transfer Portal

Washington Huskies shortstop and utility infielder Lou Fujiwara has entered the Transfer Portal.

Lou Fujiwara played one season with the Huskies. During that year, he appeared in just three games for Washington. He did not get an at-bat in any of those games. However, he was as good as he could have been defensively in those limited opportunities, with a 1.000 fielding percentage.

In the summer of 2024, Lou Fujiwara has been playing in the Great Lakes Summer Collegiate League for the Lima Locos in Ohio. There, he’s played in 15 games and has 68 at-bats. He’s hitting .276 there with a .368 OBP and a .293 slugging percentage. He also has four RBIs and two stolen bases.

A native of Japan, Lou Fujiwara played his high school baseball at Brett Kay at JSerra Catholic High School while staying with a host family. Back then, he led the school to the 2022 CIF Championship. He also earned second team all-league honor and was named OC Varsity Second Team All-County.

2024 was a difficult season for the Washington Huskies, with the team going just 19-31-1. The Huskies went just 10-20 in Pac-12 play and finished the season on an eight-game losing streak.

An offseason of change for Washington

Following the 2024 season, the Washington Huskies underwent a series of changes. The most notable change is the move the Huskies are making from one year to the next is the move from the Pac-12 to the Big Ten.

Another major change to the team is coming at the head coach position. For the past two seasons, the Huskies have been led by Jason Kelly. Under him, Washington went 35-20 and went to the NCAA Regional in 2023 before following up with a disappointing 2024 campaign. Following the season, amid several other head coaching changes, he chose to leave Washington to become the pitching coach at Texas A&M.

To replace Kelly, Washington is reportedly hiring Utah Valley‘s Eddie Smith to become the team’s next head coach. Interestingly, Lou Fujiwara’s decision to enter the portal came along with the reports of that hiring.

Thanks to that coaching change, it’s not a surprise that there is a lot of turnover coming to the roster from the Transfer Portal. In college baseball, the main portal window opens in May, but for a team like Washington that has a coaching change, that time for players to enter the portal is expanded. There will also be another portal window for every team in December, before the season starts.