Stanford Righty Joey Volchko Enters NCAA Transfer Portal
Image credit: Joey Volchko (Photo by Eakin Howard/Getty Images)
Stanford righthander Joey Volchko, one of college baseball’s most tantalizing arms, has entered the NCAA transfer portal after two seasons with the Cardinal. He’s done so with a do-not-contact designation, a move that typically signals either a predetermined destination or a desire to control the flow of communication through his representation.
Transfer Portal Rankings
Prior to Volchko’s announcement, we ranked the top 25 players in the portal.
Volchko’s entrance into the portal immediately makes him one of the most intriguing names available—if not for his production, then certainly for his upside. Volchko is ranked No. 15 on Baseball America’s 2026 draft board. An athletic righty with electric stuff and an unorthodox delivery, Volchko has long drawn attention from pro scouts and high-level programs alike, even as his on-field results have lagged behind the hype.
Over two seasons with the Cardinal, Volchko posted a combined 5.89 ERA across 113 innings. In 2025, he pitched to a 6.01 ERA with 56 strikeouts and 34 walks over 70.1 innings, a slight statistical regression from his freshman season, when he logged a 5.70 ERA with 53 strikeouts and 38 walks in 42.2 frames.
Still, evaluators remain bullish on his long-term potential thanks to a combination of raw stuff and physical traits that few in college baseball can match.
Volchko’s fastball sits in the mid 90s and has touched triple digits, playing up thanks to late life through the zone. The true separator, though, is his power slider—a vicious upper-80s-to-low-90s breaker with sharp, two-plane tilt that often gets double-plus grades from evaluators.
But while the ingredients are elite, the results haven’t followed. Volchko’s high walk rates, inconsistent pitch execution and limited pitch mix—he’s primarily a two-pitch arm—have made it difficult for him to find consistent success against high-level competition.
That’s what makes this portal entry so fascinating: Volchko is a projectable Friday night starter or potential first-rounder if it clicks, but he’ll need the right developmental fit to get there.
Stanford, which has missed the last two NCAA Tournaments, has seen both of its high-upside rotation arms enter the portal offseason. Matt Scott, who was once considered a potential first-rounder before struggling this spring, committed to Georgia, although he’s a candidate to turn pro after next month’s draft.
