Florida lands its fourth portal pitcher, LHP Ernesto Lugo-Canchola

Florida baseball has landed the commitment of left-handed pitcher Ernesto Lugo-Canchola from the transfer portal, according to Baseball America’s Jacob Rudner.

Lugo-Canchola, a 6-foot-5 senior from Division II Northwest Nazarene University, earned DII Pitcher of the Year, DII First-Team All-American, and GNAC Male Athlete of the Year honors after posting a 13-0 record on the mound in 2025.

TRANSFER: Former DII Northwest Nazarene ace Ernesto Lugo-Canchola has committed to Florida, I'm told. He's a 6-foot-5, 230-pound LHP. Had a 2.00 ERA with 103 strikeouts to 44 walks over 94.2 innings in 2025. High-80s to low-90s FB with a solid SL and CH. pic.twitter.com/hmP1UrG8mw

— Jacob Rudner (@JacobRudner) July 17, 2025

Along with his impressive record, he posted a 2.00 ERA in 94.2 innings with a 103-to-44 strikeout-to-walk ratio last season.

Before spending a year at Northwest Nazarene, Lugo-Canchola began his collegiate career at Salt Lake Community College in 2022. There he posted an 8-1 record with a 1.66 ERA and earned NJCAA All-Region 18 First Team honors.

After that, he transferred to the University of Utah for the 2023 and 2024 seasons. Over those two seasons, Lugo-Canchola appeared in 39 games and struck out 56 in 66 innings. He took a huge leap last season, improving a 6.85 ERA in 2023 to a 3.32 ERA in 2024.

According to Rudner’s report, Lugo-Canchola throws a high 80s to low 90s fastball. But keeps hitters off balance with a solid slider and change-up.

It is the 10th portal addition and the fourth pitcher of this cycle for the Gators. Florida is looking to add depth to a pitching staff that lost seven combined arms to the portal or draft. Florida also added RHP Ricky Reeth (Notre Dame), RHP Russell Sandefer (UCF), and RHP Cooper Walls (Hawaii) to the staff this summer.

However, after losing RHP Jake Clemente and LHP Pierce Coppola to the MLB Draft—both expected to sign with their respective teams—the Gators needed to keep addressing a key position of need.

Florida hopes Lugo-Canchola can shine next season, especially for a team that severely lacked left-handed pitching.