Grayson Saunier the latest Ole Miss pitcher to enter the transfer portal
There has not been a lot of transfer portal activity when it comes to Ole Miss baseball players leaving the program but a couple significant moves have been made since the portal opened earlier this month.
Most recently, and maybe most notably, was the decision by starting pitcher Grayson Saunier to try his luck in the portal and find a new home.
Saunier is the eighth Rebel to hit the portal since it opened on June 3 and the fourth pitcher. The Ole Miss Spirit confirmed an earlier report by Rebel Walk.
Catcher Eli Berch was the most-recent Ole Miss player to hit the portal, doing so on June 8, before Saunier’s name officially entered the portal on Thursday.
Saunier’s departure comes a week after Rebels head coach Mike Bianco announced the hiring of Joel Mangrum as the program’s new pitching coach.
In his two seasons at Ole Miss Saunier’s tenure was up and down with mixed results and several attempts at making him a permanent weekend starter. Saunier was named a weekend starter in the 2023 and 2024 opening weekend rotations but would fluctuate in and out during his first two collegiate seasons.
This season Saunier finished with a 4-3 record and a 5.64 earned run average, allowing 30 runs — 28 earned — off 50 hits. He struck out 35 batters and walked 16 others in 44.2 innings pitched.
Over 23 career appearances for Ole Miss Saunier had a 6-7 record and a 6.25 ERA, giving up 68 runs — 63 earned — over 90.2 innings pitched.
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Along with Saunier the other three pitchers in the portal are Cole Tolbert, Corey Braun and Gabe Smith.
Tolbert is the only name that saw action this season with six appearances. The right-hander finished with a 0-1 record and a 7.71 ERA, allowing seven runs — four earned — off seven hits in 4.2 innings pitched.
The other biggest hit for Ole Miss after Saunier from a depth issue is the catcher position.
Berch was not the only player from the backstop position to hit the portal. Trenton Lyons was one of the players to enter on the first day the portal opened. The freshman from Memphis played in 21 games with a .263 batting average with 10 hits and three runs batted. Lyons also scored three runs and had one double.
Behind the plate he committed six errors but had eight assists and 71 put outs for a .929 fielding percentage.
Currently the only returning catcher on the roster is rising sophomore Campbell Smithwick. Ole Miss will be looking for an experienced and veteran catcher to bring in from the portal to help shore up that position in 2025.
The only other field position players that have hit the portal are outfielders Seth Farni and John Kramer.
