July 17, 2026

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FIU Baseball Signing Tracker

Ricardo Urrusuno July 17, 2026 10 min read
FIU Baseball Signing Tracker

FIU Athletics

With the FIU Panthers going a different direction, they hired new head coach Pedro Grifol to take over the program after posting a 19-35 record last season. As expected, several players on the roster who were recruited by former head coach Rich Witten decided to seek other opportunities. Here is the ongoing FIU Baseball signing tracker.

Christian Rodriguez – Florida

Rodriguez is a pitcher from Coral Springs. As a redshirt sophomore in 2026, he pitched in three games, working 1.1 innings with two strikeouts and two walks. In 2025, he made 22 bullpen appearances, posting a 1-0 record with a 5.32 ERA and a save. Rodriguez finished the season with an 11.8 K/9, 4.2 BB/9, and a 2.8 K-to-BB ratio. As a freshman in 2024, he didn’t make any appearances due to injury.

Christian Rodriguez was a four-year letterwinner at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School. He went 29-2 with a 1.19 ERA, .115 BAA, and 310 strikeouts in 188.2 innings (14.9 K/9). Rodriguez earned the 2023 MaxPreps National Player of the Year, Florida Dairy Farmers Mr. Baseball, and Perfect Game National Pitcher of the Year. At the plate, he batted .339/.462/.590 in 226 plate appearances.

Bryson Thacker – Tennessee

Thacker is a pitcher from Rome, Georgia. He tossed 4.1 innings in 2025, having a 0.00 ERA with seven strikeouts. In 2024, he won the National Championship as a redshirt freshman. At Rome High School, he recorded 366 strikeouts and a 1.20 ERA in 170 innings pitched. Bryson Thacker was a four-time GHSA All-State selection.

He played travel baseball for the Texas Rangers Scout Team and was named to all-district and all-region teams. Thacker was ranked as the #52 left-handed pitcher in the U.S. by Perfect Game and the #6 southpaw in Georgia. He was named to the 2023 Perfect Game Preseason All-American and All-Region Teams. He’s also a two-time Perfect Game Preseason All-American.

Brandon Olivera – Arizona State

Olivera is a right-handed pitcher from Hialeah. He did not appear in a game for the Sun Devils this past spring. At Miami Dade College in 2025, he made four starts in five games, recording 16.2 innings with 26 strikeouts. With Miami in 2024, Olivera put in 23.2 innings of work with a 2-0 record and a 6.85 ERA. Brandon Olivera totaled 33 strikeouts against 17 walks.

He was a five-year letterman at Miami Springs Senior High. Olivera was a four-time all-district selection and was tabbed as the 2023 4A-15 Pitcher of the Year. As a senior, he went 6-3 with a 1.30 ERA and 46 punchouts in 43 innings. The Golden Hawks won two district titles during his time there.

Jason Bello – Dayton

Bello is an infielder/outfielder from Fort Myers. He was placed on the NCBWA Freshman All-America Second Team last year. Bello was also named to the Atlantic 10 All-Rookie and All-Conference First Teams. He earned A-10 Rookie of the Week twice in 2026. Jason Bello slashed .286/.404/.617, led the team with 18 homers, and posted 56 RBI and 44 runs as a sophomore. Starting in all 53 games, he had nine doubles.

Bello didn’t play in his freshman season for the Flyers. He graduated from Bishop Verot Catholic High School and was named All-State First Team as a senior and a two-time All-State Second Team member. Bello was also a three-time All-Area First Team member and an Area Player of the Year runner-up.

Erik Parker – South Carolina

Parker is an infielder from Atlanta. He made 11 starts in 26 games this past spring, hitting three doubles, two RBI, and scoring 10 runs for the Gamecocks. In 2025, he played in 16 games for Georgia as they went 43-17 (18-12) and hosted an NCAA Athens Regional as a #7 seed. He hit .250 with 10 runs, two walks, and a stolen base that year.

Erik Parker graduated from North Gwinnett, where he batted .333 with a .544 on-base percentage, four homers, and a school record of 28 stolen bases as a senior. He was named the 2023 and 2024 First Team All-Region as well as an honorable mention All-County as a senior. Parker earned a Perfect Game 10 Grade and was a PG All-American.

Tyree Reed – Central Arizona

Reed is an outfielder from Vallejo, California. In 41 games last season, he hit three home runs, scored 34 runs, drove in 34 RBI, and stole nine bases. In his career, Reed hit .355 with a .509 on-base percentage, .548 slugging percentage, 77 hits, 12 doubles, three triples, eight homers, 59 RBI, 65 runs, and 13 stolen bases. While at Oregon State, he didn’t see any action on the field.

At American Canyon High School, Tyree Reed was a Perfect Game and Under Armour All-American. The three-time USA Baseball alum, as well as an All-League and League MVP, hit .462 with two runs, three RBI, one home run, and three stolen bases during his shortened junior season. As a sophomore, Reed hit .481, with 20 runs, five doubles, four triples, 19 RBI, and eight stolen bases.

Logan Pruski – Northern Colorado

Pruski is an infielder from Truckee, California. As an Honorable Mention All-Summit League in 2026, he batted .294 with 11 doubles, three home runs, and 31 RBI for a .389 slugging percentage, drawing 31 walks and four hit-by-pitches for an on-base percentage of .398.

Logan Pruski had 79 putouts and 138 assists for a .964 fielding percentage, totaling 13 stolen bases. He graduated from Bishop Manogue Catholic in 2022. In high school, Pruski was an All-American and ranked ninth in Nevada.

Felix Ong – Las Vegas

Ong is a right-handed pitcher from Key West. He made eight starts in 14 appearances last spring, carrying a 9.80 ERA with a .297 BAA. Ong posted a 1-3 record, punching out 35 hitters and giving up 41 runs (38 earned) in 37.2 innings pitched. In 2025, Ong pitched in three games for Florida, logging a 10.80 ERA and .250 BAA.

He was a four-year letterwinner at Key West, making 20 starts in 43 games. Felix Ong went 15-6 with a 3.37 ERA and .219 BAA, tallying 178 strikeouts in 122.2 innings for a 13.1 K/9. He also played for 5 Star Key West and Conch Ball and was named to the 2022-24 Perfect Game Preseason All-Region. Perfect Game ranked him as the #52 player and #10 right-hander in Florida.

Michael Fernandez – Miami

Fernandez is a left-handed pitcher from Tampa. He made six bullpen appearances as a sophomore and 16 bullpen appearances as a freshman for the Hurricanes. With 16 innings tossed in 2025, he pitched with a 7.88 ERA and 19 strikeouts while keeping his opponents to a .259 batting average. Michael Fernandez earned four varsity letters at Gaither High School.

He was a two-time All-Western Conference First Team selection and was selected as the 2024 District 15 Class 6A Player of the Year. Fernandez posted a 22-4 record with a 1.80 ERA and 269 strikeouts over 152 innings. The southpaw set the school record for single-season strikeouts (114) and career strikeouts. Gaither won back-to-back district titles while he was there.

Coleson Kaluza – Saint Anselm

Kaluza is an infielder/outfielder from Ottawa. He slashed .363/.519/.580 with 66 runs scored, nine home runs, 27 RBI, and 25 stolen bases in 2026. For the Hawks in 2025, he played in 10 games, recording three runs and a .250 OBP, and made the NE10 Fall Academic Honor Roll with Academic Distinction.

Coleson Kaluza is a graduate of St. Mark High School, where he was a dual-sport athlete in baseball and hockey for the Lions. In travel baseball, he was named Baseball MVP three times, and he was named Hockey MVP once.

Hudson Lee – South Carolina

Lee is a left-handed pitcher from Spartanburg, South Carolina. As a junior in 2026, he made 15 appearances out of the bullpen for the Gamecocks, posting a 3.72 ERA with 10 strikeouts in 9.2 innings pitched. Lee’s opponents were held to a .097 batting average as he allowed just one extra-base hit.  In 2025, he played for Clemson, making 15 mound appearances for the Tigers, striking out 19 in 14 innings.

Hudson Lee attended Wake Forest for two seasons, making just two relief appearances in 2024. At Dorman High School, he was an All-State selection in baseball and football. He lettered four times in baseball and three times in football. Lee ranked as the #2 left-handed pitcher and #9 player in South Carolina in the class of 2024 by Perfect Game.

Nicholas Alonso – St. Thomas

Alonso is an outfielder from Miami. He batted .283 with 30 runs, 22 RBI, five home runs, and 15 stolen bases last season for the Bobcats. In 2025, he played in six games for the Arkansas State Red Wolves, making two starts and going 1/4 at the plate. During the summer of 2024, Alonso played for the Minot Hot Tots in the Northwoods League. He slashed .262/.325/.308 in 31 games, stealing 12 bases.

Nicholas Alonso played for Louisiana Tech in 2022 and 2023 but didn’t appear in any games. However, he was on the Conference USA Commissioner’s Honor Roll both seasons. Alonso played high school ball at Belen Jesuit Prep, earning First Team All-District and First Team All-Dade as a senior.

Braxton Wade – Georgia Highlands

Wade is a right-handed pitcher from Rome, Georgia. He made three starts in 19 games last season with a 3-1 record, 40 strikeouts and a 5.01 ERA in 41.1 innings pitched. In 2025, Wade made 13 relief appearances, going 3-2 with 23 strikeouts and a 4.98 ERA in 21.2 innings. He posted a 9.55 K/9.

Braxton Wade has previously been named the GCAA Pitcher of the Week. As part of the class of 2024, Perfect Game ranked him as the #25 pitcher in Georgia.

Nick Upperman – St. Petersburg

Upperman is an outfielder from Sanford. He had an impressive 2026 season for the Titans, batting .433 with 71 hits, 45 runs scored, 38 RBIs, four home runs, and 33 stolen bases (second in NJCAA). In 43 games, Upperman had an on-base percentage of .513 and slugged .616.

 

Nick Upperman played in 31 games as a freshman at Polk State in 2024, posting a .208 average, 12 runs, five RBI, and six stolen bases. He played varsity baseball at Seminole High School, where he made the All-Conference team after batting .330.

Brady Byers – Lake Sumter

Byers is a catcher from Dunedin. In 2026, he appeared in 57 games, batting .376 with a .449 on-base percentage and a .479 slugging percentage. Byers totaled 80 hits, drove in 38 runs, drew 16 walks, and collected 14 doubles. He slashed .315/.446/.356 in 2025 and had eight multi-hit games. In his 73 at-bats, he recorded 23 hits and 15 walks with 11 RBI. Runners had a .227 caught stealing percentage.

Brady Byers was an All-Sun-Lakes Conference First-Team catcher. He took a redshirt season in the spring of 2024. He’s pursuing a degree in business administration, and when not on the field, he enjoys playing golf, fishing, and playing cards.

Niko Janssens – Central Florida

Janssens is a pitcher from Spring Hill. He started in one game in 22 bullpen appearances for the Patriots last season. Janssens went 2-1 with six saves and 35 punchouts in 34 innings. He played at Florida in 2025, pitching in 9 games and going 0-1 with a 12.96 ERA and a .324 batting average against. Niko Janssens posted 10 strikeouts and walked eight hitters in 8.1 innings.

He was a two-way star at A3 Academy during his senior season and played at Springstead High School during his junior year. Janssens made 11 relief appearances, posting a 3-2 record and 15.2 K/9 in 24.1 innings. He surrendered just 17 hits and had a BAA of .179. At the plate, he slashed .400/.545/.538 with a 1.083 OPS. Perfect Game ranked him as the #38 player in Florida and #220 nationally.

Nick April-Gath – Florida Southwestern

April-Gath is an infielder from Valrico, Florida. He had a slash line of .378/.496/.595 last season for the Buccaneers while scoring 60 runs, driving in 27 runs, drawing 32 walks, and stealing 15 bases. April-Gath hit 13 doubles, three triples, and seven home runs as well. He made the First Team All-Citrus Conference and was an FCSAA Gold Glove recipient.

He played for Virginia Commonwealth in 2025, making 27 starts in 30 games as a freshman, hitting .284 with 16 runs and a .377 OBP. Nick April-Gath was a four-year letterman at Durant High School, helping his team win a District Championship as a senior. He hit .371 and scored 32 runs that season.

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About Post Author

Ricardo Urrusuno

He’s a diehard 305 native who roots for his hometown teams in the good, the bad, and the ugly. Recently, he graduated from FIU with an MBA, but now he’s a Lemonhead covering UM basketball. Known to be anywhere and everywhere, you may catch him at a Miami sporting event.

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