Three years ago, Major League Baseball pushed the amateur draft back from the first week of June to the All-Star break in mid-July. The move, meant to better market the event, has affected the college baseball landscape.

The draft used to take place in early June, around the same time the transfer portal typically opened. Now, it’s become a guessing game for Maryland baseball and head coach Matt Swope.

“You kind of have to protect yourself and set yourself up for the future,” Swope said. “You don’t know who’s gonna get drafted.”

First baseman Eddie Hacopian is one player who could potentially hear his name called during the draft from July 14 to 16. He rated his optimism of being selected at about a nine out of 10.

Hacopian led the Terps in batting average in 2024 and has started all 119 games the past two seasons. He said he’s talked to multiple scouts ahead of the draft.

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“I’m feeling really good about it,” Hacopian said. “I think I’ve done enough to get selected and I’m ready for it.”

To potentially fill a void, the Terps snagged first baseman Hollis Porter as their first addition of the summer. Porter won the Mississippi Association of Community Colleges Conference Player of the Year after setting Pearl River’s single-season record with 20 home runs.

If Hacopian returns, the rising senior could move to either second, third or the outfield while Porter fills his post at first base, Swope said. Hacopian’s positional versatility is a trait he’s touted to scouts, he said.

Outfielder Elijah Lambros, who batted .267 in 2024, could also hear his name called due to his above average athletic tools.

To protect against the potential loss, Maryland secured VCU outfielder Aden Hill. Hill started all 61 games for the Rams last season and was third on the team with a .267 batting average.

Hill was teammates with Terps right-hander James Gladden at VCU in 2023.

Sophomore transfer Liam Willson also adds depth to the outfield, as well as third base.Willson appeared in only nine games for Wake Forest in 2024, but was the No. 24-ranked class of 2023 prospect in Virginia, according to Perfect Game.

Of the four position players who transferred out of Maryland, outfielder Luke Zeisloft logged the most time with 12 appearances. First baseman Riley DeCandido appeared in nine games while catcher Cole Constable and infielder Koy Swanson played in none.

Incoming freshmen Jake Yeager and Cristofer Cespedes pose the greatest risk of being drafted away from the Terps.

Yeager attended the MLB draft combine in June and was named the Baltimore Sun’s All-Metro Baseball Player of the Year after tossing a 1.25 ERA during his senior year at Archbishop Spalding.

Cespedes, a right-hander from New York, tosses a fastball that maxes at 97 mph, according to Prep Baseball Report. He also throws a changeup and curveball in the mid-80s.

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“[Yeager] is somebody that’s gonna have a chance to produce right away with the size of his frame, the velocity that he has, his off-speed stuff,” Terps pitching coach Jimmy Jackson said. “Cris Cespedes is the same way. He has the stuff in the [velocity], in the body and the frame to do exactly the same thing.”

The Terps also brought in four pitchers through the transfer portal.

Merrimack’s Brayden Ryan transferred to Maryland after serving as one of the Warriors’ starting pitchers in 2024. Ryan recorded 70 strikeouts last season, which would’ve led Maryland.

The right-hander will have the opportunity to compete for a starting role.

Right-hander Jack Wren transferred to Maryland for his graduate year after three seasons at Marist. After recording a combined 12.45 ERA in 2022 and 2023, Wren lowered his average to 3.60 in 2024 in 17 appearances and five starts.

“As someone who’s a graduate student, a lot of coaches see you as a finished product … I still want to develop a little bit,” Wren said. “Over the past few years, I’ve definitely grown a lot and I think there’s still more for me in the future.”

Maryland also added Dartmouth graduate arm Devin Milberg and Wake Forest sophomore Andrew Koshy. Milberg appeared in 31 games in three years while Koshy threw in 11 games out of the bullpen in 2024.