Florida RHP Yoel Tejeda, Jr. announced his commitment to rival Florida State via Twitter Monday.
Excited to announce I have committed to Florida State University! Very excited for this new opportunity! #GoNoles 🍢🍢 pic.twitter.com/RdZzgXED1l
— Yoel Tejeda (@yoelon52) June 13, 2023
Earlier in the day, Jacob Rudner, of 247Sports, reported that Tejeda and Carsten Finnvold had entered the transfer portal.
The transfer surprised many as Tejeda competed in eight games including six starts as he took over the mid-week role nearly midway through the season. The Gators will be losing their Friday and Saturday starters to the draft (both Brandon Sproat and Hurston Waldrep are projected as first round picks) and Tejeda appeared to be a front-runner for one of the weekend rotation spots.
As a 19-year old freshman, the 6’8 righty threw 22.2 innings while claiming a 2-0 record. He struck out eleven but walked twelve while maintaining a 5.56 ERA.
Tejeda was one of the top prospects out of high school and was drafted by the Pittsburgh Pirates in the 2022 MLB Draft. As a senior at North Broward Prep in Davie, he was named an All-American, finishing 8-0 with a 1.83 ERA and 90 strikeouts over 61 innings.
The Gators signed seven high school pitchers in the 2023 recruiting cycle.