Why Arizona Softball’s Transfer Class Ranks No.9
Arizona has had quite the offseason.
With 10 players leaving after an upsetting loss to Ole Miss at home in the Tucson Regional of the NCAA Tournament, Caitlin Lowe and her staff hit the transfer portal hard to make replacements for starters Dakota Kennedy and Kaiah Altymeyer.
The roster’s additions include a Big East Player of the Year, an All-Big 12 honoree, and two arms from the Big Ten, landing the Wildcats No.9 on Softball America’s transfer class rankings.
Here’s a deep dive into the players who are joining Tucson and what to expect in the coming season.
Transferring In:
- Jalen Adams (Iowa)
- Grace Jenkins (UConn)
- Sereniti Trice (Iowa State)
- Addison Duke (Ole Miss)
- Jenae Berry (Indiana)
Jalen Adams
The right-handed junior from Iowa is coming off her best season yet, with a 25-6 record and a 2.18 ERA, along with 130 strikeouts. She ranked second in the Big Ten in 2025 with 20 complete games and 198.2 innings. She owns a career 2.26 ERA with 45 wins and 245 strikeouts in 518 innings of work.
"We are thrilled to welcome Jalen to Tucson after a dominant pitching performance at Iowa this season," head coach Caitlin Lowe said in a press release. "She's a proven winner and will bring a great deal of high-level experience to our bullpen."
Adams earned NFCA All-Midwest second team and second-team All-Big Ten honors in 2025, while also previously having Big Ten All-Freshman team accolades on her resume.
Grace Jenkins
The standout catcher had an exceptional year at the plate for UConn, surpassing multiple single-season program records, including home runs, doubles, RBIs, walks, and total bases.
Her 19 home runs, 19 doubles, 64 RBIs, and .888 slugging percentage were all conference-leading statistics, which granted her Big East Player of the Year.
Behind the plate, she was just as successful, posting a .990 fielding percentage, making 183 putouts with 13 assists.
"We are so thrilled with the addition of Grace to our roster," head coach Caitlin Lowe said in a press release. "She brings a powerful left-handed bat and her overall athleticism allows her to play multiple positions on the field. Grace is woman of high character that has done nothing but get better throughout her college career. We look forward to her continued development as a Wildcat."
Sereniti Trice
Trice had quite the debut season with Iowa State. Starting every game at second base, she held the highest fielding percentage of any Cyclone fielder who had 100-plus chances.
As the leadoff hitter, she tied for the second-best batting average of the team (.354) and had the second-most hits (63), while leading the team in stolen bases.
Her outstanding first year earned her the All-Big 12 Second Team and made her a unanimous Big 12 All-Freshman honoree.
Addison Duke
In her debut season, Duke did not receive many opportunities at Ole Miss, as she appeared in 43 games and started only two, serving as a defensive replacement in the outfield.
The lefty made two starts and had 16 at-bats. She hit .375 and drew two walks, scoring 12 runs for the Rebels. After seeing Ole Miss move on to Super Regionals, she’ll head back to her home state and look for new opportunities with the Wildcats.
Jenae Berry
Berry, who spent one season at Indiana, went 8-6 with a 4.60 ERA, allowing 64 hits in 62 innings with 26 walks and 34 strikeouts. The righty picked up nine wins in 25 appearances, which ranked second on the team. She went on to pitch three combined shutouts and struck out 36 batters in 65.1 innings pitched.
While Arizona has lost most of its pitching this offseason due to Devyn Netz, Miranda Stoddard, and Saya Swain graduating, and Aissa Silva, Brooke Mannon, Ryan Maddox and Sydney Somerndike hitting the portal, Berry’s arm is a huge get for the Wildcats.
Nicole Reitz graduated from Indiana University Indianapolis with a degree in sports journalism in 2022 and has been writing about softball and baseball since 2018 .Her work has been published in various publications like Softball America, the Indianapolis Star, and SoxOn35th.
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