Who are the Top 10 College Softball Transfers Expected to Make the Biggest Impact?
Many college softball teams are in the thick of the fall season, debuting new freshmen, fine-tuning veterans, and putting their off-season additions to the test.
With the 2026 season inching closer, several transfers will have the opportunity to take their new programs to the next level.
Here are some of the biggest names that found new homes through the portal and what they are expected to bring to the table.
Sydney Berzon, P, Oklahoma Sooners
For the third year in a row, the Sooners will be dependent on a senior transfer in the circle to lead the way. Berzon, the three-time NFCA All-Region First Team and All-SEC selection, finished her junior season at LSU with a 2.46 ERA behind 104 strikeouts in 139 innings pitched.
She finished her Tigers career with 416 strikeouts in 486 innings, 13 shutouts, and ranks No. 3 all-time with nine saves in LSU's program history.
Now paired with pitching coach Jennifer Rocha, who transformed Sam Landry into a professional in 2025, Gasso believes Berzon is only going to get better.
“She brings in some senior leadership, as does (Kierston Deal),” Gasso said in a press conference. “But Sydney Berzon is going to get better than she is right now.”
Though the Sooners finished their season in a heartbreaking loss to Texas Tech in the semifinals of the Women’s College World Series (WCWS), the Sooners already have possibly one of the best freshman classes to hit the 2026 college season.
The addition of Berzon to this forceful lineup will make OU’s chances of grabbing another title easily attainable.
Dakota Kennedy, OF, Arkansas Razorbacks
Though the Razorbacks lost their strongest bat, USA Player of the Year, Bri Ellis, to graduation, head coach Courtney Deifel had much success in the transfer portal, picking up strong offensive pieces, including Kennedy.
During her three years with Arizona, the NFCA All-American and Rawlings Gold Glove Award recipient posted a .399 batting average with 180 hits, 26 doubles, six triples, 28 home runs, 94 RBI, 91 walks, and 302 total bases while scoring 147 runs and stealing 22 bases.
In the outfield, she owns a career .996 fielding percentage with 248 putouts and eight assists in 257 chances.
In 2025, Kennedy started 44 of Arizona’s 61 games, but missed 17 due to a broken hand. She still had a career-high year, recording a .444 batting average, a .539 on-base percentage, a .689 slugging percentage, and a 1.228 OPS.
Taylor Pannell, CINF, Texas Tech Red Raiders
As runners-up in the 2025 Women’s College World Series (WCWS), the Red Raiders have assembled a talent-filled roster around ace NiJaree Canady, who heads into her senior year. Heavy bats will be needed to back up Canady in the circle, and Pannell is expected to be the offensive leader.
As a standout in the infield for Tennessee the last two seasons, the All-American led the Vols in multiple categories, including batting average (.398), runs (56), hits (73), and RBIs (65). She was second on the team in home runs with 18 and boasted a .754 slugging percentage, playing a significant role in the Vols' appearance at the WCWS.
Her double, triple, and home run totals jumped from 2024, while her batting average went from .294 to .398.
Addisen Fisher, P, Georgia Bulldogs
While most of the Bulldogs’ starting lineup and talented pitching staff return, the additions of several young former top recruits, aces in the circle, and power-hitters at the plate make the roster even more glorious.
Fisher will have the opportunity to step into a larger role now that her rookie season is behind her.
The right-handed pitcher was used in relief quite frequently at UCLA, with half of her appearances coming out of the bullpen. Over her 16 starts, she had six complete games, posting a 2.59 ERA with 16 wins, a .241 opponent batting average, and 100 strikeouts in 113.2 innings of work.
Elon Butler, INF, Oregon Ducks
Coming off their best season under Melyssa Lombardi, the Ducks kept that momentum in the transfer portal to replace the production of graduating seniors Paige Sinicki, Kai, and Kedre Luschar with some of the best players in the portal. Butler is the perfect addition to the lineup next to several key returning players.
The All-American power hitter helped lead Cal to three straight NCAA Tournament appearances as the Golden Bears advanced to the Regional Final in 2023 and 2025.
Playing both infield and outfield, Butler has posted tremendous numbers thus far in her collegiate career. Her career batting average sits at .328 with a .621 slugging percentage, 37 home runs, 112 RBIs, 157 hits, 25 doubles, and 28 stolen bases. She earned All-American honors in 2024 after hitting 12 doubles, 17 home runs, and putting up a .760 slugging percentage.
Melina Wilkison, OF, Oklahoma State Cowgirls
The Cowgirls finished the 2025 season with a 35-20 record and a loss to Arkansas in the Fayetteville Regional. With four transfers, head coach Kenny Gajewski is looking to reload, and Wilkison’s bat is just what the team needs.
Wilkison spent her first three years with Ohio State and mended an injury during her junior year before heading to Indiana in 2025. Playing center field, she hit .326 with 11 doubles, seven triples, and home runs, 41 RBIs, and 22 stolen bases.
Her breakout year came in 2023, when she led the Buckeyes in batting average (.373), RBIs (44), runs scored (50), hits (66), home runs (11), slugging percentage (.718), on-base percentage (.439), and stolen bases (13). These accomplishments slanted her First Team All-Big Ten honors.
Char Lorenz, OF, LSU Tigers
Head coach Beth Torina turned to the transfer portal to snag a few key additions that will help boost LSU's roster heading into 2026.
Lorenz had a breakout season with Louisville, earning All-ACC Second Team honors as well as earning a spot on Softball America's Freshman All-American team.
She led the team with a .399 batting average and a .677 slugging percentage, recording 57 hits, 32 runs scored, and 13 stolen bases.
She also put up 11 doubles, five triples, and nine home runs while adding a single-season freshman record 53 RBIs. Defensively, Lorenz held a .967 fielding percentage with 87 putouts.
Kaiah Altmeyer, OF, Texas Longhorns
Though Texas returns nearly its entire stunning lineup from the 2025 WCWS championship team, aside from star third baseman Mia Scott and first baseman Joley Mitchell, Mike White’s picks in the transfer portal add even more depth to the roster.
Altmeyer is skilled in any position in the outfield, but she became Arizona’s starting right fielder halfway through her sophomore season. Across her three years with the Wildcats, she started 173 games, 74 in right field, 18 in left field, 13 in center, and eight as a designated player.
She broke out during her sophomore season, hitting .333 with seven doubles, a triple, and five home runs. In 2025, she ranked fifth in program history for doubles (19) in a single season and led the Big 12 conference in doubles, which landed her on the All-Big 12 second team.
Brooke Wells, CINF, Alabama Crimson Tide
Under head coach Patrick Murphy, 2025 marked Alabama’s NCAA-best 19th trip to the Super Regionals and the 24th time the Crimson Tide has reached the 40-win mark.
After making significant improvements offensively, the program hopes to keep that momentum flowing into the 2026 season.
The pitcher, infielder, and slugger led the Houston with a .341 batting average, 47 hits, 10 home runs, and 47 RBIs during her debut season. She finished the year ranked in Houston’s single-season top 10 in on-base percentage, RBIs per game, and walks per game, while also posting the highest slugging percentage by a freshman in program history.
Tallen Edwards, INF, Texas A&M Aggies
Head coach Trisha Ford and her staff have rebuilt with a mix of veterans and young bats through the transfer portal in hopes of bouncing back from their shocking loss in the College Station Regional.
Edwards made quite a name for herself over three years at OSU. Hitting .328 and becoming one of the most difficult players in the Big 12 for opposing pitchers to strikeout, her breakout season was impactful on OSU’s advancement to the WCWS.
She led the team with 31 runs scored and 27 walks in 2024, but ended the 2025 season with a .282 average over 55 games with 10 doubles, three home runs, and 18 RBIs.
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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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