Florida State baseball has stayed busy in the transfer portal this offseason, welcoming its seventh acquisition this month.
Florida right-handed pitcher Yoel Tejeda, announced Monday, via Twitter that he has committed to Florida State. Tejeda was also drafted out of high school by the Pittsburgh Pirates, selected in the 19th round of the 2022 MLB Draft.
The 6-foot-8-inch, 215-pound pitcher threw 22.2 innings last season for the Gators, earning a 2-0 record and an ERA of 5.56. In his freshman season, Tejeda allowed 17 runs on 26 hits, with 12 earned runs, 12 walks, and 11 strikeouts.
His longest outings were all four innings against Bethune-Cookman, North Florida and Florida A&M. He tied his season high in strikeouts against North Florida with four. He had four Ks earlier this season in a win over Jacksonville.
Tejeda was part of a 19-man pitching rotation at Florida that went 50-15 and is advancing onto the Men’s College World Series after sweeping South Carolina in Super Regionals.
Tejeda is a native of Davie, Florida, attending North Broward Prep. In his senior season, he went 8-0 on the mound, posting a 1.83 ERA, .178 BAA, and 90 strikeouts over 61 innings. He earned 2022 All-American and All-State honorees his senior season and earned All-Area, All-City, and All-Section honors from 2019 to 2022.
He finished his high school career with a 15-0 record with a 1.40 ERA and 145 strikeouts. Tejeda provided to be a versatile player during his time at North Broward Prep, batting .355 as a senior with four home runs, one triple, 10 doubles, 30 RBIs, 28 runs, and 10 steals.
On the travel circuit, he was ranked by Perfect Game as the No. 3 outfielder and the No. 12 recruits in Florida. He was also the No. 13 outfielder and No. 52 players overall in the country. He’s a three-time Perfect Game Preseason First Team All-Region selection and has been named to 10 different Perfect Game All-Tournament Teams.
FSU’s busy transfer season
Tejeda is the Seminoles’ sixth acquisition since June 1, and fifth from an in-state program.
On Sunday, UNC Wilmington junior right-handed pitcher Ethan Chenault announced that he’s transferring to FSU. The Forest, Virginia native pitched 47.2 innings this season owning an ERA of 4.91, allowing 28 runs on 34 hits, walking 24, and striking out 59. He went 3-1 in 17 appearances this season.
Chenault told 247 Sports that he is draft eligible and intends on going through the draft process in July.
UCF left-handed pitch Jacob Marlowe announced on June 2 that he was transferring to FSU.
The 6-foot, 175-pound pitcher is from Naples and was a sophomore last year. He went 3-6 with a 5.64 ERA in 19 appearances (eight starts) while striking out 41 and walking 12 in 60.2 innings.
On June 1, three different players announced their intentions to transfer to FSU: Florida High alumnus and UCF shortstop Drew Faurot, UNF infielder Alex Lodise and Alabama outfielder Max Williams. That same day, current FSU player James Tibbs announced that he was returning to Tallahassee for his junior season.
Faurot, a 6-foot-3 shortstop known for his versatility, was a unanimous selection to the American Athletic Conference Freshman All-Conference Team. He started 57 games, hit .252, and had 51 RBI. He also set the freshman record for home runs with 16. He is also the son of former FSU baseball player Adam Faurot.
Lodise, a St. Augustine native was a first-team, All-ASUN selection last season as a freshman, hitting .306 with 51 runs, 67 hits, 14 doubles, two triples, 16 home runs, and 63 RBI. Lodise set the UNF freshman single-season record for home runs, runs, and RBI. Defensively, he had a .928 fielding percentage.
Williams is also a Florida native, playing for Clay High School in Green Cove Springs. He made three starts this season as a freshman, appeared in 18 games, and hit .320 (25 at-bats).
The Seminoles went 23-31 this season in Link Jarrett’s first year at the helm, missing the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 1977.
FSU baseball transfer tracker:
Transfers in:
UCF shortstop Drew Faurot, SS (UCF)
Alex Lodise, INF, (UNF)
Max Williams, OF, (Alabama)
Transfers out:
Jack Williams covers Florida State athletics for the Tallahassee Democrat. Contact him via email at [email protected] or on Twitter @jackgwilliams.
This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: Yoel Tejeda transfers from Florida to Florida State baseball; Seminoles 7th goal gain