Texas CF Duke Ellis signs with White Sox, P Kamron Fields enters NCAA transfer portal

Texas Longhorns center fielder Duke Ellis will not return for a second chance at his senior season — he signed an undrafted free agent deal with the Chicago White Sox that will be worth $20,000, according to the agency representing him.

A source also told Burnt Orange Nation that junior right-handed pitcher Kamron Fields has entered his named into the NCAA transfer portal. Fields graduated from Texas this spring with a degree in corporate communication.

Fields showed promise as a freshman with a 1.82 ERA in 15 appearances, but he also struggled with his control, walking 22 batters in 24.2 innings pitched. As a sophomore, he regressed despite receiving the opportunity to close games — he stopped walking as many batters, but threw 13 wild pitches and his ERA ballooned to 4.26. In 2020, he struggled even more in even more limited opportunities, appearing in only four games and allowing three earned runs in 4.0 innings.

Ellis transferred to Texas after spending his freshman season at Panola College and quickly made an impact by hitting .289 thanks to a strong finish that saw him lead the Big 12 in on-base percentage during conference games (.484) and finish second in batting average (.390). He wasn’t as successful as a junior as his batting averaged dropped to .266, but he was off to a strong start in 2020, finishing second on the team in batting average at .302 through 17 games.