Baseball Bears Announce Highly Touted Transfer Class
July 28, 2026 | Baseball
SPRINGFIELD – Missouri State added to its 2027 baseball roster with the addition of 11 players over the summer, a transfer class that is ranked as the 16th-best nationally and best among non-Power Four schools according to D1Baseball's Net Wins Above Replacement (WAR) metric through July 27.
Head Coach Joey Hawkins on the Bears' transfer class:
"I am thrilled to welcome this year's transfer class to our program after last year's regional run. Our staff went into summer recruiting with the mindset to reload this year's roster and surround our returning players with outstanding talent and character, and the staff deserves a ton of credit after all the work they put in. This summer we will be welcoming in a stable of new arms with high octane stuff and experience at all different levels from the SEC, CUSA and the JUCO ranks. We look forward to these pitchers teaming up with our exciting group of returning arms and implementing themselves into Coach Johnson's pitching development system. On the position player side, we looked to continue to create lineup and positional flexibility while staying true to what we value on the offensive side of the ball. We are fired up to add some big-time power bats but also players who are athletic, can get on base and can run. The staff set out a vision and achieved that plan, now we look forward to getting our roster on campus and back to work for another postseason run."
Missouri State's newest commitments include:
Brock Adamson • 6-2 • 215 • LHP • Ankeny, Iowa • Ankeny High/Ellsworth CC/Cal State Bakersfield
Fisher Cantrell • 6-6 • 200 • RHP • Shiloh, Ga. • Harris County High/Jacksonville State
Brady Davidson • 5-8 • 185 • IF • Kenosha, Wis. • St. Joseph High/Heartland CC/Ball State
Jaylen Hernandez • 5-11 • 205 • UT • Brooklyn, N.Y. • Xaverian High/Winthrop
Tristan Hunter • 6-2 • 195 • RHP • Forsyth, Mo. • Forsyth High/Kentucky
Kaden Peer • 6-3 • 205 • OF • Chesterfield, Mo. • CBC High/Missouri
Aiden Redmond • 5-8 • 155 • RHP • St. Genevieve, Mo. • Farmington High/Jefferson College
Michael Rodriguez • 5-11 • 190 • OF • Pembroke Pines, Fla. • West Broward High/Bethune-Cookman
Caden Sammler • 5-11 • 195 • C • Urbandale, Iowa • Waukee Northwest High/NIACC/Ellsworth CC/FIU
Nick Slogik • 6-5 • 235 • IF • Lititz, Pa. • Bishop McDevitt High/Rowan College South Jersey Gloucester
Hazen Wright • 6-3 • 195 • RHP • Carlsbad, N.M. • Carlsbad High/New Mexico State
Player Summaries:
Brock Adamson • 6-2 • 215 • LHP • Ankeny, Iowa • Ankeny High/Ellsworth CC/Cal State Bakersfield
Adamson played his first two seasons at Ellsworth Community College in his native Iowa before spending the 2026 campaign at Cal State Bakersfield. Started all 25 games in which he appeared at Ellsworth, combining to go 9-8 with four complete games, 122 strikeouts and a 3.79 ERA in 118.2 innings. Adamson appeared in 13 games with one start during his junior year at CSU Bakersfield, going 2-0 with 15 strikeouts in 15 innings.
Fisher Cantrell • 6-6 • 200 • RHP • Shiloh, Ga. • Harris County High/Jacksonville State
Cantrell spent his first two collegiate seasons pitching in relief for Jacksonville State, striking out 28 batters in 17 innings while limiting opponents to a .133 batting average over 18 appearances with one start. He fanned 19 batters and allowed just six hits over 9.2 innings in 2026 to help the Gamecocks sweep the Conference USA regular season and tournament championships. Top 500 national recruit according to Perfect Game out of Harris County High in Shiloh, Ga., where he was two-time all-region selection.
Brady Davidson • 5-8 • 185 • IF • Kenosha, Wis. • St. Joseph High/Heartland CC/Ball State
Davidson competed for Heartland Community College for two seasons before transferring to Ball State for the 2026 campaign, where he ranked second in the Mid-American Conference with a .415 batting average as a junior. Davidson slugged .576 with three homers and 10 doubles in 33 games for the Cardinals in 2026, posting a .457 on-base percentage. He earned first-team all-conference and all-district honors both seasons at Heartland CC while helping the Hawks to a 90-34 record and pair of NJCAA Division II World Series appearances in his two seasons. The left-handed hitter slashed .380/.460/.568 with 14 home runs, 34 doubles and 131 RBI in 117 games played at Heartland. At Kenosha St. Joseph High, he hit .500 or better in each of his final three seasons, winning a state championship in 2021 and runner-up in 2022 while earning honorable mention all-state accolades his final two seasons.
Jaylen Hernandez • 5-11 • 205 • UT • Brooklyn, N.Y. • Xaverian High/Winthrop
Hernandez joins the Bears after three seasons at Winthrop, where he earned Big South All-Freshman Team honors in 2024 and was a first-team all-league outfielder in 2026 after batting .318 and slugging .601 with 15 home runs, 45 RBI, 11 doubles and 10 stolen bases. In three seasons with the Eagles, Hernandez played in 162 games, batting .297 with 27 homers, 45 doubles, 22 steals, 135 runs scored, a .523 slugging percentage and .438 on-base figure.
Tristan Hunter • 6-2 • 195 • RHP • Forsyth, Mo. • Forsyth High/Kentucky
Hunter returns home to southwest Missouri after two years at Kentucky, where he appeared in 28 games for the Wildcats and struck out 38 hitters in 22.2 innings while holding opponents to below a .200 batting average. A prep star at Forsyth High, Hunter was the Missouri Class 3 Player of the Year as a senior in 2024 and ranked as the No. 5 recruit in the state by Perfect Game. He earned all-state honors his final two years, going 8-0 with a 0.56 ERA as a senior while tying the state record with three no-hitters that season. Graduated ranked eighth in state history with 391 career strikeouts, the highest total since pitch count limits were implemented.
Kaden Peer • 6-3 • 205 • OF • Chesterfield, Mo. • CBC High/Missouri
Peer started three years in the outfield for Missouri, compiling career totals of a .274 batting average with nine home runs, 27 extra-base hits, 67 RBI, 78 runs scored and 25 stolen bases for the SEC program. Peer led all MU freshmen with a .252 average in 2024, then batted .299 as a sophomore with five homers and 33 RBI while putting together a 21-game on base streak during the year. As a junior in 2026, he hit .266 with 10 extra-base hits while starting 42 games in center field, posting a 22-game on base streak and highlighting his season with a grand slam in the Tigers' win over CWS-bound Ole Miss in the SEC Tournament.
Aiden Redmond • 5-8 • 155 • RHP • St. Genevieve, Mo. • Farmington High/Jefferson College
Redmond earned NJCAA All-Region honors as a freshman at Jefferson Colllege in 2026, going 9-1 with a 2.29 ERA, 65 strikeouts and a .163 opponent average in 51 innings for the Vikings. As a prep at Farmington High, he was a three-time all-conference pick and all-state selection as a senior, ending his career with more than 200 strikeouts.
Michael Rodriguez • 5-11 • 190 • OF • Pembroke Pines, Fla. • West Broward High/Bethune-Cookman
Rodriguez led NCAA Division I with a .574 on-base percentage and ranked fourth with a .416 batting average in 2026, his third year at Bethune-Cookman. He drew 40 walks and was hit by 20 pitches in addition to collecting 64 hits, slugging .565 with two homers, three triples and 11 doubles. Rodriguez also earned first-team all-Southwestern Athletic Conference honors in 2026. In three seasons at B-CU, Rodriguez hit .350 with a .496 OBP, 26 extra-base hits and 26 stolen bases in 111 games, helping the Wildcats to a pair of regular-season SWAC titles and a 2025 NCAA Regional berth.
Caden Sammler • 5-11 • 195 • C • Urbandale, Iowa • Waukee Northwest High/NIACC/Ellsworth CC/FIU
Sammler comes to Mo State from fellow CUSA school Florida International after playing two seasons in junior college. At FIU in 2026, the catcher batted .342 in 32 games, driving in 17 runs and collecting nine extra-base hits for a .553 slugging percentage. He also drew 22 walks to aid in a .510 on-base percentage. At Ellsworth Community College in 2025, Sammler was a NJCAA Third-Team All-American after batting .389 with 10 home runs and 53 RBI in 56 games, tallying 21 multi-hit games and throwing out 29 would-be base stealers. He spent his freshman year at North Iowa Area CC in 2024, seeing action in 19 games and collecting seven extra-base hits while driving in 14 runs.
Nick Slogik • 6-5 • 235 • IF • Lititz, Pa. • Bishop McDevitt High/Rowan College South Jersey Gloucester
Slogik earned First-Team All-America honors at Rowan College of Gloucester in 2026, slashing .455/.514/.909 with 23 home runs, 98 RBI and 86 runs scored. He was also the conference and region player of the year as a sophomore. As a freshman, Slogik slashed .364/.485/.610 with 23 extra-base hits for the NJCAA Division III national-champion Roadrunners. In 105 games at Rowan, Slogik batted .412 and slugged .768 with 34 homers and 171 RBI. In high school, he was a four-time first-team all-conference selection and a first-team all-state pick as a junior at Bishop McDevitt High. Slogik began his college career at East Carolina, spending the Fall 2024 semester as a tight end on the Pirates' football team.
Hazen Wright • 6-3 • 195 • RHP • Carlsbad, N.M. • Carlsbad High/New Mexico State
Wright stays within Conference USA after spending his first two seasons at New Mexico State. In two years with the Aggies, Wright appeared in 35 games out of the bullpen, throwing 51 innings and piling up 69 strikeouts with a .207 opponent average. He went 2-1 with a 5.65 ERA for his career in Las Cruces. At Carlsbad High, Wright went 12-2 with 175 strikeouts and a 2.63 ERA in two seasons on the varsity, collecting first-team all-state honors as a senior. He was ranked as the No. 4 prospect in New Mexico and No. 3 pitcher by Perfect Game in the Class of 2024.
Head Coach Joey Hawkins on the Bears' transfer class:
"I am thrilled to welcome this year's transfer class to our program after last year's regional run. Our staff went into summer recruiting with the mindset to reload this year's roster and surround our returning players with outstanding talent and character, and the staff deserves a ton of credit after all the work they put in. This summer we will be welcoming in a stable of new arms with high octane stuff and experience at all different levels from the SEC, CUSA and the JUCO ranks. We look forward to these pitchers teaming up with our exciting group of returning arms and implementing themselves into Coach Johnson's pitching development system. On the position player side, we looked to continue to create lineup and positional flexibility while staying true to what we value on the offensive side of the ball. We are fired up to add some big-time power bats but also players who are athletic, can get on base and can run. The staff set out a vision and achieved that plan, now we look forward to getting our roster on campus and back to work for another postseason run."
Missouri State's newest commitments include:
Brock Adamson • 6-2 • 215 • LHP • Ankeny, Iowa • Ankeny High/Ellsworth CC/Cal State Bakersfield
Fisher Cantrell • 6-6 • 200 • RHP • Shiloh, Ga. • Harris County High/Jacksonville State
Brady Davidson • 5-8 • 185 • IF • Kenosha, Wis. • St. Joseph High/Heartland CC/Ball State
Jaylen Hernandez • 5-11 • 205 • UT • Brooklyn, N.Y. • Xaverian High/Winthrop
Tristan Hunter • 6-2 • 195 • RHP • Forsyth, Mo. • Forsyth High/Kentucky
Kaden Peer • 6-3 • 205 • OF • Chesterfield, Mo. • CBC High/Missouri
Aiden Redmond • 5-8 • 155 • RHP • St. Genevieve, Mo. • Farmington High/Jefferson College
Michael Rodriguez • 5-11 • 190 • OF • Pembroke Pines, Fla. • West Broward High/Bethune-Cookman
Caden Sammler • 5-11 • 195 • C • Urbandale, Iowa • Waukee Northwest High/NIACC/Ellsworth CC/FIU
Nick Slogik • 6-5 • 235 • IF • Lititz, Pa. • Bishop McDevitt High/Rowan College South Jersey Gloucester
Hazen Wright • 6-3 • 195 • RHP • Carlsbad, N.M. • Carlsbad High/New Mexico State
Player Summaries:
Brock Adamson • 6-2 • 215 • LHP • Ankeny, Iowa • Ankeny High/Ellsworth CC/Cal State Bakersfield
Adamson played his first two seasons at Ellsworth Community College in his native Iowa before spending the 2026 campaign at Cal State Bakersfield. Started all 25 games in which he appeared at Ellsworth, combining to go 9-8 with four complete games, 122 strikeouts and a 3.79 ERA in 118.2 innings. Adamson appeared in 13 games with one start during his junior year at CSU Bakersfield, going 2-0 with 15 strikeouts in 15 innings.
Fisher Cantrell • 6-6 • 200 • RHP • Shiloh, Ga. • Harris County High/Jacksonville State
Cantrell spent his first two collegiate seasons pitching in relief for Jacksonville State, striking out 28 batters in 17 innings while limiting opponents to a .133 batting average over 18 appearances with one start. He fanned 19 batters and allowed just six hits over 9.2 innings in 2026 to help the Gamecocks sweep the Conference USA regular season and tournament championships. Top 500 national recruit according to Perfect Game out of Harris County High in Shiloh, Ga., where he was two-time all-region selection.
Brady Davidson • 5-8 • 185 • IF • Kenosha, Wis. • St. Joseph High/Heartland CC/Ball State
Davidson competed for Heartland Community College for two seasons before transferring to Ball State for the 2026 campaign, where he ranked second in the Mid-American Conference with a .415 batting average as a junior. Davidson slugged .576 with three homers and 10 doubles in 33 games for the Cardinals in 2026, posting a .457 on-base percentage. He earned first-team all-conference and all-district honors both seasons at Heartland CC while helping the Hawks to a 90-34 record and pair of NJCAA Division II World Series appearances in his two seasons. The left-handed hitter slashed .380/.460/.568 with 14 home runs, 34 doubles and 131 RBI in 117 games played at Heartland. At Kenosha St. Joseph High, he hit .500 or better in each of his final three seasons, winning a state championship in 2021 and runner-up in 2022 while earning honorable mention all-state accolades his final two seasons.
Jaylen Hernandez • 5-11 • 205 • UT • Brooklyn, N.Y. • Xaverian High/Winthrop
Hernandez joins the Bears after three seasons at Winthrop, where he earned Big South All-Freshman Team honors in 2024 and was a first-team all-league outfielder in 2026 after batting .318 and slugging .601 with 15 home runs, 45 RBI, 11 doubles and 10 stolen bases. In three seasons with the Eagles, Hernandez played in 162 games, batting .297 with 27 homers, 45 doubles, 22 steals, 135 runs scored, a .523 slugging percentage and .438 on-base figure.
Tristan Hunter • 6-2 • 195 • RHP • Forsyth, Mo. • Forsyth High/Kentucky
Hunter returns home to southwest Missouri after two years at Kentucky, where he appeared in 28 games for the Wildcats and struck out 38 hitters in 22.2 innings while holding opponents to below a .200 batting average. A prep star at Forsyth High, Hunter was the Missouri Class 3 Player of the Year as a senior in 2024 and ranked as the No. 5 recruit in the state by Perfect Game. He earned all-state honors his final two years, going 8-0 with a 0.56 ERA as a senior while tying the state record with three no-hitters that season. Graduated ranked eighth in state history with 391 career strikeouts, the highest total since pitch count limits were implemented.
Kaden Peer • 6-3 • 205 • OF • Chesterfield, Mo. • CBC High/Missouri
Peer started three years in the outfield for Missouri, compiling career totals of a .274 batting average with nine home runs, 27 extra-base hits, 67 RBI, 78 runs scored and 25 stolen bases for the SEC program. Peer led all MU freshmen with a .252 average in 2024, then batted .299 as a sophomore with five homers and 33 RBI while putting together a 21-game on base streak during the year. As a junior in 2026, he hit .266 with 10 extra-base hits while starting 42 games in center field, posting a 22-game on base streak and highlighting his season with a grand slam in the Tigers' win over CWS-bound Ole Miss in the SEC Tournament.
Aiden Redmond • 5-8 • 155 • RHP • St. Genevieve, Mo. • Farmington High/Jefferson College
Redmond earned NJCAA All-Region honors as a freshman at Jefferson Colllege in 2026, going 9-1 with a 2.29 ERA, 65 strikeouts and a .163 opponent average in 51 innings for the Vikings. As a prep at Farmington High, he was a three-time all-conference pick and all-state selection as a senior, ending his career with more than 200 strikeouts.
Michael Rodriguez • 5-11 • 190 • OF • Pembroke Pines, Fla. • West Broward High/Bethune-Cookman
Rodriguez led NCAA Division I with a .574 on-base percentage and ranked fourth with a .416 batting average in 2026, his third year at Bethune-Cookman. He drew 40 walks and was hit by 20 pitches in addition to collecting 64 hits, slugging .565 with two homers, three triples and 11 doubles. Rodriguez also earned first-team all-Southwestern Athletic Conference honors in 2026. In three seasons at B-CU, Rodriguez hit .350 with a .496 OBP, 26 extra-base hits and 26 stolen bases in 111 games, helping the Wildcats to a pair of regular-season SWAC titles and a 2025 NCAA Regional berth.
Caden Sammler • 5-11 • 195 • C • Urbandale, Iowa • Waukee Northwest High/NIACC/Ellsworth CC/FIU
Sammler comes to Mo State from fellow CUSA school Florida International after playing two seasons in junior college. At FIU in 2026, the catcher batted .342 in 32 games, driving in 17 runs and collecting nine extra-base hits for a .553 slugging percentage. He also drew 22 walks to aid in a .510 on-base percentage. At Ellsworth Community College in 2025, Sammler was a NJCAA Third-Team All-American after batting .389 with 10 home runs and 53 RBI in 56 games, tallying 21 multi-hit games and throwing out 29 would-be base stealers. He spent his freshman year at North Iowa Area CC in 2024, seeing action in 19 games and collecting seven extra-base hits while driving in 14 runs.
Nick Slogik • 6-5 • 235 • IF • Lititz, Pa. • Bishop McDevitt High/Rowan College South Jersey Gloucester
Slogik earned First-Team All-America honors at Rowan College of Gloucester in 2026, slashing .455/.514/.909 with 23 home runs, 98 RBI and 86 runs scored. He was also the conference and region player of the year as a sophomore. As a freshman, Slogik slashed .364/.485/.610 with 23 extra-base hits for the NJCAA Division III national-champion Roadrunners. In 105 games at Rowan, Slogik batted .412 and slugged .768 with 34 homers and 171 RBI. In high school, he was a four-time first-team all-conference selection and a first-team all-state pick as a junior at Bishop McDevitt High. Slogik began his college career at East Carolina, spending the Fall 2024 semester as a tight end on the Pirates' football team.
Hazen Wright • 6-3 • 195 • RHP • Carlsbad, N.M. • Carlsbad High/New Mexico State
Wright stays within Conference USA after spending his first two seasons at New Mexico State. In two years with the Aggies, Wright appeared in 35 games out of the bullpen, throwing 51 innings and piling up 69 strikeouts with a .207 opponent average. He went 2-1 with a 5.65 ERA for his career in Las Cruces. At Carlsbad High, Wright went 12-2 with 175 strikeouts and a 2.63 ERA in two seasons on the varsity, collecting first-team all-state honors as a senior. He was ranked as the No. 4 prospect in New Mexico and No. 3 pitcher by Perfect Game in the Class of 2024.
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