Two-time Journal Star baseball player of the year Easton Harris has entered the NCAA transfer portal following his junior season at Bradley.
The Washington product along with Peoria-area players Beau Durbin (Morton, infielder) and Travis Lutz (Limestone, pitcher) are among at least nine BU players having put their names in transfer portal over the last eight days.
Several of these players cited on social media the coaching change as the reason. Longtime Braves head coach Elvis Dominguez announced his retirement last Friday.
Harris, a right-handed pitcher, didn’t make any appearances during the 2025 campaign as he was still recovering from UCL reconstruction surgery. His remaining eligibility includes two years and a potential third season. He made three appearances in 2024, pitching 4.1 innings with three strikeouts, two walks and a 6.23 ERA.
Durbin, who has a year of eligibility remaining, is a two-year starter from Illinois Central College, having hit .264 on 47 hits with 11 doubles, four triples, four home runs and 26 RBIs. He scored 30 runs, walked 27 times and stole 11 bases, while posting a .951 fielding percentage.
Lutz made eight appearances over 41.1 innings this past season. The senior, who has a year of eligibility left, went 1-7, struck out 45, walked 30 and recorded an 8.27 ERA. He’s also an ICC transfer.
Also in the portal is senior outfielder Bobby Atkinson, an all-Missouri Valley Conference second-team selection. He batted a team-best .332 on 61 hits with 19 doubles, three triples, seven homers and 42 RBIs. The Coastal Carolina transfer also scored 45 runs, was walked 32 times and stole a pair of bases.
Other transfers include Jackson Horras (junior, RHP), Jake Pemble (junior, LHP), Isaac Sobieszczyk (sophomore, infielder), Brayden Marks (junior, RHP) and Reece Clapp (junior, RHP).
Bradley finished the 2025 season at 16-35 overall and 12-15 in MVC play. The Braves made the MVC tournament as the No. 7 seed, losing their first-round game 11-7 to sixth-seed Belmont.
Dominguez spent 17 seasons with the Braves, retiring as the program’s second winningest coach (364 victories) and leading BU to the 2015 NCAA tournament as an at-large bid.
