With the college baseball season winding down, transfer moves are beginning to be made. Middle Tennessee baseball made several acquisitions earlier in the year, but they made another as Walters State RHP Matthew Porchas committed to MTSU on Monday. The 6’4, 225lb pitcher is the fifth transfer commit or signee for the Blue Raiders. He will have two years of eligibility remaining.

“For me, MTSU felt like home once I visited. I waited it out for about a month and weighed out the other schools reaching out to me,” Porchas said. “At the end of the day, I felt comfortable committing here after the constant communication with Coach [Ryan] Huber. It’s where I believe I can thrive and give myself a great opportunity to play at the next level.”

The big right-hander hurler is from California, where he played at Santa Margarita Catholic High School and was the No. 290 player nationally, No. 34 from The Golden State. After high school, he took his talents to the University of Texas, where he redshirted for a year and entered the transfer portal. Porchas stayed in the south and committed to the powerhouse Walters State CC in Morristown, Tenn.

In his first season with the Senators, he only made six appearances, but was outstanding with a 0.00 ERA and 11 strikeouts to one walk in 4 2/3 innings. However, in his second and final season at Walters State, he would see a much larger workload, making 15 appearances across 14 innings. Porchas would boast a ridiculous 0.64 ERA and 1.00 WHIP while punching out 23 batters and picking up two saves.

The redshirt sophomore quickly garnered much interest from schools, including the MTSU Blue Raiders. Porchas visited Murfreesboro for the April 11-13 series against Louisiana Tech, where he loved what he saw.

“When I visited campus a month ago, I enjoyed how it felt. It reminded me a lot of California with its modern vibe and welcoming atmosphere. The facilities were impressive and up-to-date, which impressed me,” says Porchas. “I also liked how the campus is situated in Murfreesboro. It’s an up-and-coming city with a lot going on, so it feels like there’s always something to explore both on and off campus.”

The big RHP took the time to consider where he wanted to play ball. But at the end of the day, one school continued to stick out: MTSU.

“I weighed all my options, and it [Middle Tennessee] felt natural. I felt like nothing was forced or rushed on me. I realized MTSU was where I wanted to be just a few days ago,” the right-handed hurler tells GoMiddle. “I took time to weigh all my options; ultimately, it felt natural. Nothing felt forced or rushed—it all made me feel confident and at peace with the decision.”

The coaching staff loves his aggressive pitching style; the RHP isn’t afraid to go at batters, and that’s why he has a 16.39 K/9 over his 18 2/3 innings pitched. Porchas is also a team guy and wants to do whatever it takes to win.

“I believe I have the potential to come in and compete for a weekend starter role, but ultimately, I want to do whatever helps the team win,” he says. “If that means pitching in high-leverage situations out of the bullpen, I’m all in for that too. My goal is to contribute in any way I can.”

While Porchas is an exceptionally talented player who will give Middle Tennessee another quality arm out of the bullpen or in its starting rotation, he brings something else. He’s won at every school and is well educated about a winning culture and what it takes. During his lone season at Texas and the two at Walters State, Porchas won 139 games to just 42 losses, so he knows what it takes to be a successful program.

He says being at those two schools, he’s learned what a team must do to ensure success, and wants to bring that to MTSU.

“Being part of programs like Texas and Walters State taught me a lot about what makes a team successful. At those places, guys show up every day with a drive to be perfect—there’s a constant sense of competition, and everyone pushes each other to get better,” Porchas said. “That mindset is something I want to bring with me to MTSU. I want to help create an environment where we bring out the best in each other and raise the standard across the board.”

Middle Tennessee is certainly not done bringing in transfers, but getting someone of Porchas’ stature to commit is already a good start to portal season.