Washington Husky baseball team loses top player Jackson Hotchkiss to transfer portal

For the second time over the past three seasons, Washington might've watched a first-round MLB draft pick enter the transfer portal.

Jackson Hotchkiss, a 6-foot-3, 190-pound outfielder from Battle Ground who led UW in almost every offensive category during the 2026 season, entered the transfer portal late Sunday evening, according to a report by D1Baseball's Kendall Rogers. Hotchkiss was a first-team All-Big Ten selection during the past season and just the third player in Husky history to reach 20 home runs in a single season.

Hotchkiss, who will be draft eligible after the 2027 college baseball season, enjoyed a breakout 2026 campaign as a sophomore while playing predominantly in left field and as a designated hitter. He batted .339, slugged .720 and registered a .417 on-base percentage while totaling 63 hits, 134 total bases and 47 RBI. All team-best marks.

Power became Hotchkiss' trademark during the 2026 season, despite playing in just 45 of UW's 57 games after an abdominal injury caused him to miss the beginning of the season. Yet Hotchkiss still posted the third 20-homer campaign in UW history, joining Chad Boudon's program-record 22 homer season in 2003 and Zach Clem's 20-homer 2006.

Among Big Ten batters in 2026, only UCLA shortstop Roch Cholowsky - the projected No. 1 pick in the upcoming MLB draft - tallied more homers than Hotchkiss. The Battle Ground native also averaged .43 home runs per game, tenth nationally. Of the 44 players who have reached 20 home runs in Division I baseball so far this season, Hotchkiss was the only one to achieve the feat in fewer than 50 games.

But Hotchkiss' strong play wasn't able to bring UW back to the NCAA tournament for the first time since 2023. Washington went 25-32 during coach Eddie Smith's second season, largely because the Huskies slumped to a 1-9 start to the season while Hotchkiss was injured.

UW went 12-18 during conference play, earning the No. 11 seed for the Big Ten tournament. Washington upset No. 6-seed Ohio State and No. 7-seed Michigan to advance to the quarterfinals before losing against No. 3-seed Oregon, 9-4 on May 23, ending its season.

The right-handed hitting Hotchkiss played in 51 games as a freshman in 2025, hitting .241 with six homers, a career-high 11 doubles and 26 RBI. He slugged .420 and stole a career-best nine bases to help UW go 29-28 during Smith's first season in Seattle.

Hotchkiss' departure is the second major exit UW baseball has experienced during the past three seasons. Back in 2024, Washington watched shortstop Aiva Arquette enter the transfer portal after two strong seasons in Seattle following former UW coach Jason Kelly's decision to leave for a pitching coach position at Texas A&M.

Smith was hired days after Arquette entered the portal, but was unable to keep the Hawaiian shortstop in Seattle. Instead, he headed to Oregon State, where he became the No. 7 overall pick in the 2025 MLB draft.

Hotchkiss, who was previously drafted in the 18th round of the 2024 MLB draft out of Battle Ground High, immediately becomes one of the most highly regarded players in the transfer portal. A strong junior season might launch him into the first round. UW hasn't produced a first-round pick since left-handed pitcher Nick Hagadone was taken by the Boston Red Sox with their supplemental pick in 2007.

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This story was originally published June 1, 2026 at 4:52 PM.