Notre Dame freshman pitcher Caden Aoki enters NCAA transfer portal
The first Notre Dame baseball player to elect to play elsewhere after the departure of Link Jarrett has hit the NCAA transfer portal. BlueandGold.com has learned freshman right-handed pitcher Caden Aoki is in the portal.
Jarrett was introduced as Florida State’s new head coach Monday. It has been exactly one week since he coached his final game at the helm of the Fighting Irish’s program, a 5-1 loss to Texas A&M in a College World Series elimination game.
Aoki, a rising sophomore from Huntington Beach, Calif., appeared in four games and pitched 9 1/3 innings in his lone season at Notre Dame. The 6-0, 180-pound hurler held a record of 0-2 with a 3.36 ERA. He had 10 strikeouts against just two walks with seven hits allowed. Batters were hitting .200 against him.
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Notre Dame had a veteran-laden pitching staff in 2022, so it was an uphill climb for Aoki to truly get involved in his first collegiate season. As is the natural progression of a college career, though, Aoki would have been in line for more pitching appearances as a sophomore and beyond. It appears he is still looking to play somewhere else.
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That probably won’t be a decision unique to him.
Student-athletes have until July 1 to enter the portal if they wish to be eligible to play at their next destination the following year. The rule still stands for players using the one-time exemption rule. Aoki is doing so in this case. He has not transferred before being that he was just a freshman this past season.
The Notre Dame roster is going to look much different in 2023 whether a string of transfers follows Aoki or not. The 2022 team, one that went to Omaha for just the third time in program history, was comprised of eight graduate students and seven seniors. All 15 of those players contributed mightily on the mound, in the field and at the plate.
Of course, there is a solid chunk of youth talent that will be around. Jarrett left the program in good shape in that regard. But he also inherited players he was able to mold late in their college careers, and that resulted in a rare trip to Omaha. To get back there, the next head coach is going to have to do a heck of a job with what he inherits.
