Georgia baseball landed its first transfer portal commitment of this cycle Wednesday.
Long Beach State freshman right-handed pitcher Luke Howe announced via Instagram that he intends to play for the Bulldogs next season.
During his only season with the Dirtbags, Howe started in all 14 games he appeared in, going 5-4 with a 5.04 ERA in 85.2 innings pitched, a 67-to-21 strikeout-to-walk ratio and a 1.40 WHIP.
Howe’s prominent role with Long Beach State earned him Big West Freshman Pitcher of the Year honors.
His best performance came April 11 against Cal State Fullerton, when Howe tossed a career-high eight innings, giving up eight hits and three runs, and struck out 10 across 114 pitches.
Although he did allow a team-worst 99 hits, only three were home runs, which is a good thing considering how hitter-friendly Foley Field can be.
Howe is a Woodland Hills, California, native who played high school ball at El Camino Real Charter.
Georgia is currently in Omaha preparing for its College World Series opening-round game on Saturday night against Texas.
With the portal open, there is no slowing down for UGA coach Wes Johnson and his staff, who have already been on the recruiting trail despite the season not being over. On Tuesday, Johnson discussed having been on seven Zoom calls the day prior, while getting ready for Texas.
In a sport that has no days off, Johnson said it’s all about keeping “your foot on the gas pedal.”
“I tell people all the time, ‘Winning is probably the most unloyal thing there is in this world,’” Johnson added. “It doesn’t care — and so the minute you take the foot off the gas and you start thinking — I have that fear that somebody’s going to pass and try to lap me, and I can’t let that happen.”
Johnson is well known for his use of the portal, with the No. 1 ranked portal class ahead of the 2025-26 season.
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