Meet the Seminoles New Shortstop: Cooper Malamazian

After a 2026 campaign in which the Florida State Seminoles won 40 games and went 19-11 in the ACC, shortstop Gabe Fraser entered the transfer portal.

Coach Link Jarrett then went into the portal and found a talented replacement in transfer Cooper Malamazian. In 97 starts over the past two years with the Indiana Hoosiers, Malamazian’s stats look like this: .310/.867 OPS/.932 FLD%.

The Seminoles hosted a regional in 2026 for the 38th time in school history, only to be knocked out by St. John’s and forced to watch the super regionals from the sofa. Malamazian is one player Jarrett hopes can produce dividends on the field and at the plate.

In 2026, Malamazian played in 51 games but missed the final three contests because of injury. He batted .301, slugged four home runs, collected 59 hits, including 10 doubles and three triples, a small step back from his freshman season. Malamazian drove in 36 runs and drew 27 walks. He was one of five Indiana players to start 40 games and hit .300 or better.

Malamazian was the No. 11 overall player in Illinois, as chosen by Perfect Game, going into his freshman season at Indiana. He decided to stay on the path of college baseball and not sign with the Milwaukee Brewers in 2024, despite being drafted in the 17th round. 

As a freshman with the Hoosiers in 2025, Malamazian started 46 games and batted .320 with 55 hits and 40 runs batted in. As a result, he was named a second-team Freshman All-American by Perfect Game. 

Malamazian was also named to the Big Ten All-Freshman Team. He played both shortstop and third base, which shows his versatility. Against Penn State, Malamazian set a school record with four doubles in a single game. He collected six runs batted in against Bellarmine. 

Malamazian will join talented transfers Cayden Suchy, Jackson McKenzie and Coy Clements on their quest to leave their mark on the field at Dick Howser Stadium. They will take the field with returning outfielder John Stuetzer. 

Outfielder Brayden Dowd received an invite to the MLB Combine, as did most of the talented Seminoles pitching staff, and also injured first baseman Myles Bailey. 

Dowd is projected to be drafted in the fourth to sixth rounds, but many argue he should return to Florida State for another season and play with these talented transfers. Bailey, despite his leg injury that ended his promising season (13 home runs, 33 runs batted in) prematurely, could still go in the second round because of his powerful bat. 

With the addition of Malamazian, Suchy, McKenzie, and Clements, the Seminoles will have a talented core of players that could take them to the super regionals and beyond in 2027. 

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