The 12 biggest softball moves of the season

January 6, 2026 Jefferson Sports 0

With fall ball right around the corner, it’s time to check out some of the offseason moves and which players are redoing the ropes this year.

Heavy tackles, dynamic linebackers and sluggers define the top pass rushers of the 2025 offseason.

Below are some of the big names that have found new homes ahead of the 2026 softball season.

Jena Young (Iowa to Alabama)

Jena Young, a two-time All-Big 10 first-team pick in the junior varsity, has two years left when she arrives in Tuscaloosa. Young started all 99 games in his two seasons with the Hawkeyes and posted a .444 batting average in conference play, which ranked fifth in the Big Ten in 2025. The second baseman had 99 hits, five home runs in 56 at-bats, 10 RBIs and 27 hits last season for a .359 batting average.

He looks to fill the void left by the loss of senior Kaleigh Heavilin to Alabama in the secondary.

Young will be joined by another dynamic Tide transfer in Brooke Wells from Houston. The dual-threat pitcher and first baseman led the Cougars in nine categories with a .341 batting average, 10 home runs and 47 RBIs while recording 311 hits in nine games in the circuit.

Dakota Kennedy (Arizona to Arkansas)

The Razorbacks have become one of the biggest names on the portal in Dakota Kennedy.

The Sacramento, Calif., native earned NFCA All-American honors with the Wildcats during the 2024 and 2025 seasons with a .399 batting average. Kennedy made a statement last season, slashing .444/.539/.670 with a 1.228 OPS in 60 hits with 10 doubles, four triples, five home runs and 25 RBI.

Arkansas got a huge arm in left field from Kennedy, who hit .996 in 248 at-bats from left field and won the Rawlings Gold Glove Award in 2024. The 2025 season marked his second straight year of perfect hitting.

Grace Jenkins (UConn to Arizona)

Jenkins, a true utility player, arrives in Scottsdale after being named the East’s top player in 2025.

He hit .424 in a Player of the Year campaign that included Husky single-season records in six categories: 19 doubles, 21 home runs, 68 RBIs, 39 walks and 154 total runs. He also posted a .484 on-base percentage over three seasons at UConn, breaking program records for career doubles (51) and RBI (138).

Behind him, the lefty has a .993 career slugging percentage in 721 chances. Arizona already has two veterans heading into the 2026 season, but in true utility fashion, it also has experience under center.

Jenkins has one year remaining on his contract with the Wildcats.

EXAMINATION: The greatest WCWS players since 1982

Amari Harper (Texas A&M to Oregon)

Oregon lands Amari Harper, “Jane of All Trades.”

The second-team All-SEC honoree had 22 starts over 51 starts, 12 first-run hits and nine second-run home runs, 11 doubles, eight home runs and 51 RBIs in his career to help the 2025 NCAA Tournament No. 1 seed.

The lefty slugger is known to be clutch in the game’s biggest moments, hitting for power and slashing .421/.536/.698 last season.

Harper will have one year of eligibility with the Ducks.

Addison Fisher (UCLA to Georgia)

Sophomore Addisen Fisher joins the Dawgs with quite the resume after just one season of college ball.

The All-Big Ten freshman team honoree boasted a 16-2 record and a 2.59 ERA in 32 games with 100 strikeouts in 113.2 innings. The freshman opened her collegiate career with a 16-0 record, tying Amanda Freed (1999) for the best start by a freshman in program history.

Erhten was ruled out for two games after the 2025 season, one against Howard and the other against No. 5 Oregon. His foul ball and command in the circle set him apart.

Hailing from Bend, OR, Fisher was named to the NFCA Freshman of the Year 10 as well as the D1Softball Freshman All-American Team. Georgia has three years of eligibility for this offseason pick-up.

The Dawgs’ preseason strategic moves filled holes that included four big additions, including All-Big 12 player Bailey Lindemuth and Coastal Carolina standout Keirstin Roose.

Emily Boyer (West Texas A&M to Ole Miss)

Ole Miss’ historic run to the 2025 NCAA Tournament saw the program’s first women’s College World Series appearance across the country. The NFCA Division II National Player of the Year was also celebrated.

Emily Boyer is a true dual threat player. In the three years before Ole Miss, Boyer boasted 54 career home runs and 197 RBI. On the mound, he has a 69-10 record with a 2.39 ERA in 454.2 innings.

His 2025 NFCA Division II Player of the Year campaign featured a .467 average with 22 home runs and 90 RBIs in 64 games.

He had one season left to join the Rebels.

Jasmine Burns (Ohio State to Texas Tech)

In 2024, Texas Tech’s pickup of superstar NiJaree Canady catapulted them into the spotlight and into the finals of the 2025 Women’s College World Series. The Red Raiders once again had a regular season, receiving 4 of the top 10 players in the portal.Sorted by On3) to secure a transition category that will be ranked No. 1 in 2025, According to Softball America.

Texas Tech is loaded with talent heading into 2026 after a thrilling finish to the season in the WCWS Finals. Jasymn Burns is a name that will surely help the Red Raiders to rebuild and reboot.

The NFCA First Team All-American had 25 home runs and 72 RBIs last season with a .455 batting average. Crazy number!

👉 Click here for the all-time DI softball home run leaders.

Obviously, Burns’ 25 sacks not only broke the Buckeye program record, but also the Big Ten single-season record, earning first-team All-Big Ten honors.

In his third season at the helm of the program, head coach Gerry Glasco has focused on adding depth.

Burns joins Texas Tech and has some of the biggest names in the toolbox: All-SEC forward Taylor Pannell of Tennessee, Mia Williams of Florida and her 2025 home 19, UCLA’s 2024 Pac-12 freshman Caitlin Terry and her staff. They can’t just be nameless.

Sophia Knight and Mackenzie Butt (Boise State, Tennessee)

Tennessee landed with some power on the portal for Boise State’s Sophia Knight and Mackenzie Batt.

Earning back-to-back All-Mountain West first-team honors, the BIG numbers: Knight is a career .455 hitter with 16 doubles, seven triples, 114 runs scored and 188 hits with 45 stolen bases over two seasons. Last year, he became the first player in the NCAA since 2002 to record 100 tackles in a season.

He was named the Mountain West Freshman of the Year in 2024, and teammate Mackenzie Butte moved to Knoxville from Boise. Butt, who followed Knight in more ways than one, also earned Mountain West Freshman of the Year honors in 2025 after hitting 22 home runs and 77 RBIs.

Batt became the seventh freshman in NCAA history to hit at least 20 home runs and 75 RBIs, setting Mustang program records in those categories. He was fourth in the NCAA in sacks per game last season and had the best offensive percentage in the first quarter with 384 chances.

Tallen Edwards (Oklahoma State to Texas A&M)

Tallen Edwards

After leading Oklahoma State to the Women’s College World Series in 2023 and 2024, Tallen Edwards will take her talents to College Station with teammate Mikaela Wark.

The Aggies have a dynamic player in Edwards, earning the Cowgirls program’s first Rawlings Gold Glove Award in 2025. He finished the season ranked third in the field with a .973 percentage and was named to the Big-12 All-Defensive Team. He will compete at third base, but veteran Kennedy Powell will return to the Aggie lineup.

The Frisco native returned home for his senior year at Texas A&M.

Sidney Berzon (LSU to Oklahoma)

Sydney Berzon

Sam Landry and Isabella Smith are two Sooner graduates with key arms rounded out after the 2025 season.

How did they fix it?

They selected a veteran right-hander with key SEC experience and one of the best players in the front office this season. Sidney Berzon joins the ranks as a two-time NFCA All-American, boasting a 2.02 career ERA with 52 wins and 416 strikeouts.

The 2025 pitcher finished his junior season with an 18-8 record, a 2.46 ERA and 104 strikeouts in 30 games. Berzon’s ERA topped the 2.0 mark for the first time last season, posting 1.78 (204 IP) and 1.91 (143 IP) marks in his freshman and sophomore campaigns, respectively.

His performance as a Tiger against some of the nation’s top competition in the SEC will be a major asset for Oklahoma in its one remaining season.

WHICH TEAMS ARE CONNECTED TO THE NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP? Find out here

Madison Walker (Missouri to Florida)

Junior Madison Walker brings strength and SEC experience to the Florida Gators and hopes to return for a third year in the Women’s College World Series.

Walker had 18 home runs last year, which tied for third in the SEC.

He’s versatile, rotating between third, first and DH in 98 games for the Tigers over two seasons, proving himself to be a weapon on the diamond and on the plate. He will have two years of eligibility for the Gators.



Source link

Be the first to comment

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published.


*