Former Arizona Softball Pitcher Transfers to UCLA

The UCLA Bruins continue to add to their roster through the transfer portal. The program officially signed former right-handed Arizona pitcher Sydney Somerndike on Wednesday.

excited and grateful to be a Bruin!🩵 @UCLASoftball pic.twitter.com/6fNA1O4cvu
— sydney somerndike (@sydsomerndike) July 21, 2025

In her three years with the Wildcats, Somerndike totaled a 4-2 record and a 4.26 ERA over 46.0 innings, while battling an injury that kept her from playing during her sophomore year.

When she returned as a redshirt sophomore in 2025, she was deep down in the bullpen, appearing in only 0.2 innings in two games and finishing with an ERA of 21.00.

Her best collegiate year, though, came in 2023 as a freshman, when she compiled a 4.01 ERA, 1.35 WHIP, 39 strikeouts and 45.1 innings across seven starts and 15 relief appearances.

The best performance of her collegiate career thus far came in a relief outing against Arkansas during her freshman year as well, when she went 4.0 scoreless innings while allowing only three baserunners to push the Wildcats to victory.

Prior to playing with Arizona, Somerndike was a standout player for Villa Park High School in Villa Park, Calif. She earned Gatorade State Player of the Year honors and was named an All-American by MaxPreps when she helped Villa Park to a runner-up finish in the CIF Southern Section Division 2 championship game in 2021.

Somerndike ended her junior year at Villa Park with a 24-2 record with 323 strikeouts in 157.0 innings pitched through 26 games. By the end of her high school career, she was recognized as one of the best players in school history and had her jersey retired by Villa Park in 2024.

Somerndike wasn’t the only Wildcat to enter the portal at the conclusion of the 2025 season. Nine active players and one who never played decided to leave the program. With Somerndike committing to UCLA, only one Wildcat is still up for grabs in the portal.

While UCLA lost six players to the transfer portal, like pitchers Kaitlyn Terry and Addisen Fisher, and eight seniors after a season that ended in the Women’s College World Series, the addition of Somerndike plus Brynne Nally should have them both see more innings in the circle.