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These are the Hottest Names in the College Softball Transfer Portal

The transfer portal opens for undergraduates on June 8.
Nicole Reitz|
Jaysoni Beachum is currently ranked the No.1 transfer.
Jaysoni Beachum is currently ranked the No.1 transfer. | Alicia Devine/Tallahassee Democrat / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The 2026 Division I softball season is officially over, and now it’s time to focus on the transfer portal. Open to undergraduate student-athletes on June 8, several have already publicly announced their intent to enter.

So, who are the hottest names so far? Mitchell Northam of USA Today has ranked the best players, and these standouts could make instant impact at their eventual new homes.

1. Jaysoni Beachum, 3B, Florida State Seminoles

With one year of eligibility remaining, the Florida State All-American announced via social media that “It’s time to move on” from the Seminoles.

The third baseman and slugger cemented herself as an FSU legend as a freshman in 2024. She finished the season leading the team in batting average (.417), hits (78), home runs (16), RBIs (66), and on-base percentage (.509). She even broke the school's freshman RBI record with 66 and posted the third-highest batting average in school history, becoming the first Seminole and the first ACC athlete to win the NFCA Division I Freshman of the Year award.

She earned NFCA Second-Team All-American honors at the conclusion of the 2026 regular season after drawing 54 walks with a .549 on-base percentage, which was the third-highest on-base percentage in school history.

2. Tori Edwards, UTL, LSU Tigers

While a few Tigers have fled already, Edwards may be the biggest shock.

The redshirt sophomore had been a staple in the lineup, collecting All-American honors and SEC Freshman of the Year in 2025. She set the single-season program record with a .802 slugging percentage and tied for a program-best 18 home runs, finishing her rookie campaign with a .375 batting average.

Those numbers dropped off a bit, though in 2026, as she finished with a .284 batting average, a slugging percentage of .568, 12 home runs, and 45 RBIs.

3. Madison Azua, P, Texas State Bobcats

The 2026 Sun Belt Conference Pitcher of the Year is moving on after three years with the Bobcats.

Azua appeared in 47 games this season with 38 starts for an ERA of 1.95 across 244.2 innings of work. She led the conference with a 12-3 record, a 1.49 ERA, and allowed just 22 earned runs. The lefty ended the season ranked No.6 on the program’s all-time strikeout list with 504, and seventh on the program’s all-time win list with 55.

4. Jayden Heavener, LSU Tigers

Heavener carried the Tigers’ pitching staff in 2026 with an ERA of 2.81, 128 strikeouts, and a 13-9 record across 139.1 innings thrown. She has two years of eligibility remaining.

5. Samantha Swan, C, Arizona State Sun Devils

After assisting the Sun Devils to an NCAA Super Regionals appearance, Swan will seek a different program to end her career with as she enters her senior season in 2027.

She landed on the 2026 NFCA All-West Region Third Team and the All-Big 12 First Team after putting up a .383 batting average, 12 home runs, 55 RBIs, and 21 doubles.

6. Karley Shelton, INF, South Carolina Gamecocks

As captain of the Gamecocks in her junior season, Shelton enters the portal after South Carolina fell in the NCAA Regionals.

Shelton finished second on the team in batting average (.345) and led the team with 68 hits. She also ranked second on the team in RBIs (40) and doubles (16) and in the top five in runs scored and home runs.

As a sophomore in 2025, she led the team with 68 hits, 58 runs, and 18 doubles, while second on the team with a .343 batting average.

7. Gigi Ganje, OF, Penn Quakers

Ganje had an insane breakout sophomore season with the Quakers.

She led the team in hits (60), home runs (16), total bases (129), walks (33), and OPS (1.453). While breaking the single-season home run record, she landed fourth in the Ivy League in batting average, second in homers and OPS, fifth in stolen bases, and first in walks.

Ganje will have two years of eligibility remaining.

8. Jenna Sniffen, 3B, Arizona Wildcats


As a starting third baseman in two years for the Wildcats, Sniffen enters the transfer portal after Arizona fell to Duke in the Durham Regional.

At third base, she made 115 starts in 116 games in her two seasons in Tucson, tallying 190 assists. In 2026, she helped Arizona set the single-season program record for double plays (46) by assisting in 18 double plays.

9. Kendra Lewis, UTL, Wisconsin Badgers

In two seasons with the Badgers, Lewis has primarily served as the designated player. As a freshman, she led the team with a .408 batting average, .650 slugging percentage, and a .442 on-base percentage to earn a spot on the 2025 All-Big Ten First Team.

She ended her career with the Badgers, hitting .329 with 34 RBIs and six homers.

10. Katie Wetteland, Nevada Wolf Pack

The Mountain West Freshman of the Year finished the season batting .400 while holding an on-base percentage of .490, slugging percentage of .686, and racked up 10 homers with 49 RBIs.

Wetteland will have three years of eligibility remaining.

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Nicole Reitz
NICOLE REITZ

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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