Oregon’s offseason turnover continued June 29, when redshirt freshman slugger Naulivou Lauaki Jr. chose his next stop and gave Georgia another bat to plug into an already dangerous lineup.
Lauaki, a 6-foot-5 power hitter from Springville, Utah, committed to the Bulldogs, according to On3. He had previously said on TikTok that his decision came down to Georgia, Texas A&M and Florida, but the SEC ended up winning the sweepstakes. After one season with the Ducks, he is heading east as one of the more productive young hitters to hit the portal.
His numbers jump off the page. Lauaki hit .321 with 37 RBIs, 14 home runs and a .687 slugging percentage as a redshirt freshman. Oregon fans had hoped he would be a centerpiece at designated hitter for the future, but instead the Ducks are losing a major source of thump.
Georgia, meanwhile, adds a player who fits exactly what it needs after reaching the College World Series in 2026 before falling to national champion Oklahoma. Lauaki gives the Bulldogs another middle-of-the-order type bat as they try to push one step farther in 2027.
The Ducks also saw another freshman bat leave in outfielder Angel Laya, who posted a .296 average with 47 RBIs, 14 home runs and a .538 slugging percentage in 2026. Laya, like Lauaki, has drawn heavy SEC interest. On3’s Pete Nakos reported that LSU, Texas, Texas A&M and Georgia are all in the mix, and a reunion with Lauaki in Athens remains possible.
That kind of double hit stings. Losing either Lauaki or Laya would have been a tough blow after their strong freshman seasons. Losing both leaves Oregon with a much different feel moving forward.
The departures don’t stop there. Catcher Burke-Lee Mabeus is headed to Mississippi State, and pitcher Collin Clarke is off to TCU. On the other side of the ledger, coach Mark Wasikowski is expected to bring back pitchers Will Sanford and Miles Gosztola.
Oregon has also worked to restock through the portal. The Ducks have added former USC right-hander Michael Ebner, former Delta State outfielder Tucker Jones, Long Beach State infielder Jake Evans, former Tampa outfielder Jake Brooks and Vanderbilt infielder Carter Johnstone.
There’s still a clear through line to all of this: Oregon came up short in its push for the College World Series in 2026, falling to Texas in the Super Regionals. Wasikowski’s group has now reached the Super Regionals in three of the last four seasons, but the program is still chasing its first CWS berth since 1954.
That’s why the exits of Lauaki and Laya matter so much. The idea of building around that young core looked like a real path forward. Instead, Oregon has had to pivot, leaning on the transfer portal to reshape the roster.
Johnstone brings a strong on-base profile, carrying a .966 OPS from his time at Fullerton before his Vanderbilt move. Ebner adds arm depth as well, with 59 strikeouts over three seasons at USC.
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Williams-Callis has Texas and Oregon among his top-10 schools, and Texas has been making a strong push as the race narrows around the highly regarded back. Oregon is not exactly thin at the position, either, with a current 2027 commitment in CaDarius McMiller and more help already on the way, which could shape how aggressively the Ducks keep pressing if this one trends elsewhere. [Read more 🡒]