FIU baseball hit hard by departures, but coach Witten still sees hope for the upcoming season

Miami Herald

12-06-2025

Rich Witten is not frustrated … just saddened.
Of the 40 baseball players on FIU's roster for the 2025 season, 26 have left the team either because of the transfer portal or because they are out of eligibility.
That's the fifth-highest turnover rate in the nation.
So far, the biggest names to leave for other schools are first baseman Brylan West, who signed with Miami; and starting pitcher Owen Puk (West Virginia).
West and Puk are going to programs who advanced to the recently completed super regionals. West hit .338 this year with 12 homers and a .979 OPS. Puk went 4-1 with a 4.91 ERA.
But it's more than just their statistics.
'It's impossible to not be fazed by the relationships you are losing,' Witten said. 'I think that's what gets lost the most in this era of college athletics.
'That's not to say that I won't have relationships with a lot of players (in the transfer era), but I do think it gets lost in the transactional state of our game.
'I don't know that it frustrates me. It makes me sad more than anything.'
In addition to West and Puk, several others Panthers players had eligibility remaining but opted to enter the transfer portal, including: starting pitchers Easton Marks and Logan Runde; closer Juan Villarreal; pitcher and former Marlins 18th-round draft pick Tristan Dietrich; FIU leader in batting average Javier Crespo; and middle infielder and ex-Astros fourth-round draft pick Alex Ulloa.
Witten said what is being lost in this era is significant.
'I still have regular contact with the college coaches I played for who were role models of mine and mentors,' Witten said. 'That's why I got into [coaching] because of how big of an impact they had on my life. 'That's how the first decade of my coaching career started – having great relationships [with the players] for the rest of our lives.'
Some of the other players FIU lost from its 2025 roster are players such as left fielder Kishon Frett, who is out of eligibility.
Frett hit 20 homers this past season — which ranks fourth in FIU history — and he is hopeful of landing with an MLB organization, either in next month's draft or as a free agent.
'He is deserving of an opportunity to play pro baseball,' Witten said of Frett. 'He has his best baseball ahead of him.'
As for the young players still on FIU's roster, Witten pointed to outfielder Cole Cleveland, who hit .291 this year with 13 steals in 14 attempts and an .889 OPS; reliever Bryce Turner (2-0, 3.47 ERA in 18 appearances); catcher Marc Hersh (.313 batting average in 18 games); and outfielder Andrew Ildefonso (.304 batting average and an .890 OPS in 50 games).
'We are really excited about these young and talented guys we have,' Witten said.
'Our baseball program continues to move in the right direction like it has in the last three years. We have signed and are continuing to recruit young men who are really excited about FIU baseball.
'There are still a lot of young men who care about forging relationships and doing things the right way.'