More Additions to the 2026 Team

The Flames have turned up the heat on the recruiting trail here in the final week of June.  Liberty has added 5 commitments from the transfer portal and will most likely add 1 to 2 more.  Here's a look at what they've picked up.

Jordan Jaffe - Jaffe is a right handed hitting Corner Infielder/DH that has just flat raked for 3 years at Richmond.  He finished 2025 with a .364 BA, 10 HR's and 59 RBI's and a whopping 1.028 OPS.  In 2024 his stat line was .317 10 HR's 44 RBI's and .964 OPS.  In 2023 he hit .314 with 12 HR's 59 RBI's and a .989 OPS.  As you can see he will easily slot in the middle of the order with Nick Barone & Jaxon Sorenson and provide the Flames with another big time RH bat.  Jaffe was highly sought after and is 1 of the most proven bats the Flames have picked up from an equal or higher level of competition in the portal era.  

Ryan Drumm - Drumm is a right handed hitting Outfielder that can play all 3 spots from Butler.  Drumm hit .303 with 6 HR's and 38 RBI's to along with an .881 OPS.  Drumm also had 7 Stolen Bases for Butler.  The Flames were looking to add OF depth as only Nick Barone returns from the starting lineup.  Drumm was attracted to Liberty by the attention to player development the program offers and the tradition of winning.  He also cited Coach LeCroy's coaching staff and resume as key reasons for picking the Flames over several other interested schools.  

Kyle Hividsten - The Flames add 1 of the talented WKU transfers.  Hvidstein is expected to catch for the Flames.  He hit .282 with 6 HR's and 22 RBIs in just 103 AB's.  The Tops were gutted in the portal and Liberty is able to snag a key commitment at a position of need.  Hvidsten was 10-11 in SB's and had an incredible .497 OBP which led a loaded Tops lineup.

These 3 additions will most likely complete the offensive/defense additions to the team.  The Flames did of course lose Cal Early to the portal but if there was 1 position the Flames could afford to lose a player at it was infield.  The Flames return Tanner Marsh at SS, Easton Swofford 2B/3B, Riley Decandido 1B/DH, Landon Scilley 2B/3B plus freshman Levi Brown & vet John Simmons.  They bring in power hitting Juco Dylan Grabowski plus a talented high schoolers like Mccoury & Williams.  Then you add in a proven commodity like Jaffe and you can see the Flames are set to have perhaps their best infield depth in over a decade.  

In the Outfield it looks like Barone, Campos & Drumm would be the early favorites but I wouldn't rule out Tucker Moore & Scilley factoring in.  Hvidsten, Brinkman and Moore give the Flames a talented group of catchers to go along with incoming freshman Barnes.  

Jaxon Lucas - The Flames reach down into Raleigh to bring in RHP Jaxon Lucas.  Lucas had a 5.21 ERA in 19 IP to go along with 20 K's.  He held the opposition to a .268 Batting Average.  Lucas features a 92-94 MPH fastball with a change, curve & plus feel for the zone.  Lucas was excited to get to Liberty due to his instant connection with the coaching staff that was paired with some of the top facilities in the game.  It's also fairly close to home so friends and family can follow.  

Matt Porter - Porter is a LHP from Pitt that sits 88-92 with the fastball and features a 3 pitch mix.  Porter had a 7.45 ERA in 29 IP while punching out 24 hitters.  Liberty was attracted to the fact that opposition hit just .083 on the breaking ball which is a plus pitch.  The Flames also need to add LHP to the roster as Josh Swink was the only remaining LHP on the roster other than the incoming freshman.  

Bradley Zayac - Zayac had a 5.40 ERA in 36 2/3 IP for ECU.  He was a 6/3 FR RHP from Chesapeake where he was previously the 156th rated RHP by PG coming out of HS.  Zayac put it all together in the Regional Final against eventual National Runner up Coastal where he went 7 1/3 allowing just 1 ER with 4 Strikeouts.  He's exactly the type of young highly touted arm with upside that the Flames needed to replace Jack Frankel who entered the portal and committed to Tulane.  

Ayden Decker-Petty - Decker-Petty is a RHP from Indiana that had a 6.57 ERA in 24 2/3 IP this year over 14 appearances.  He's 6-5 205 LB's with 1 year of eligibility remaining.  He also made 16 appearances his Sophomore year.  He was a consensus top 5 player in the state of Indiana coming out of HS.