COTUIT, Mass. — The transfer portal is more prevalent than ever in college sports. By the July 1 deadline this year, over 5,000 players submitted their paperwork to enter.
One of those 5,000 was Kettleer infielder Jarren Advincula.
Always the first player to get to Lowell Park, Advincula slashed .392/.448/.446 last season for Cotuit and he didn’t seem to slow down for the University of California Golden Bears. In his sophomore campaign, Advincula batted .342 in 55 games and drove in 33 runs.
However, the 2025 season in Berkeley would be his last for Mike Neu and the coaching staff.
The Golden Bears finished 24-31 on the season, and 9-21 in conference play in their first year in the ACC. Advincula knew he wanted to spend what will presumably be his last year in college baseball at a school that could be Omaha-bound.
“I was like, ‘What do I want my last year to look like?’,” Advincula said. “No one had the same goals I wanted.”
The reigning Cape Cod League batting champion officially entered the portal June 3 with a no-contact tag, and could only be in touch with schools if he initiated conversation.
Even though he spoke to multiple programs, three in particular stood out enough to him to warrant official visits: Tennessee, Georgia Tech and Florida State.
First up on the docket: Knoxville, TN, to meet Tony Vitello and the Volunteers June 13.
Ranked as high as No. 1 in the country this year, Tennessee reached the Super Regional in June, but was eliminated by Arkansas in two games.
However, it wasn’t the success of the team that drew Advincula toward Knoxville.
On his first official visit, the rising junior was blown out of the water.
“They set a standard for sure,” Advincula said after his visit. “Tony V. is the man and I’ve gained a lot of respect for their program after the visit.”
Advincula raved about not only the facilities at Lindsey Nelson Stadium but the culture that Coach Vitello has built in his short tenure.
“It’s really family-based,” Advincula said. “And it’s a very caring program. They care about their baseball and fans are really supportive.”
After a brief return to Cotuit, Advincula and his family jetted off again, this time to Atlanta for a June 17 visit to Georgia Tech and a June 19 visit to Florida State.
“Georgia Tech is a very good hitting school. (Head coach) James Ramsey is the man,” he said. “(Florida State head coach) Link Jarrett is very good. Very good defender himself and knows a lot about the game.”
After he got back from Tallahassee, Advincula decided that the Seminoles would be his last official visit.
“I’m missing a lot of Cape games,” the second baseman said. “If any other coach wants to see me, they’ll probably see me up here.”
Advincula planned to give himself another week or two before deciding where he would be moving his entire life to.
Late at night June 26, he posted the logo of one school he visited with a three-word caption: “Go Jackets! #committed”.
Advincula stunned many with his decision to spend the 2026 season in a Yellow Jackets uniform, including coach Ramsey.
“He was kind of shocked at first,” Advincula said of his phone call to his new coach. “He’s a great guy, so that’s why I feel like I had the best connection with him.”
Advincula plans to bring everything he has to Atlanta to get Georgia Tech back to the College World Series.
“I’m trying to be a spark plug,” he said. “I just hope to bring a lot of energy to the team and want to use that to get to Omaha.”
