Arizona is definitely the “what’s going on there?” team this softball offseason. It was a position Washington was in last year and Alabama was in two years before that. Big programs that have the portal floodgates open and carry away half the team.
What was once a team that just needed pitching and a bit of depth at key positions now needs almost an entire outfield. Kaiah Altmeyer just became the second starting outfielder and the 10th Arizona softball player to enter the transfer portal this offseason.
Altmeyer didn’t get the national attention of her fellow Arizona outfielders, but she has been a mainstay at the top of the lineup. She led the Wildcats with 19 doubles, almost twice as many as the 10 hit by fellow outfield portal-resident Dakota Kennedy. Her 42 walks were second behind Sydney Stewart (48). She had 66 hits, second behind Regan Shockey (88). Her 50 runs scored were third behind Shockey (57) and Stewart (56). Her five home runs were tied for fifth with Kennedy and yet another portal entry, Emily Schepp.
Over her career, Altmeyer played in 136 games with 112 starts. She made 61 of those starts this season when she started in every one of Arizona’s games, primarily in right field.
She came into the season with 140 at-bats in her career. She added 181 in 2025 for a total of 321 at-bats in three years.
She ends her time at Arizona with a .355 average, a .548 slugging percentage, and a .454 on-base percentage. She had 26 doubles, 3 triples, and 10 home runs over three years. She walked 62 times. Her career fielding percentage is .924. All of her offensive numbers improved dramatically in her final season in Tucson.
With Altmeyer bringing the transfer departures to 10 and four players exhausting their eligibility, 14 of the 22 players on the 2025 roster will not return. The Wildcats have added pitcher Jenae Berry via the portal and have a class of four arriving for the 2026 season, bringing the current expected roster to 13. However, instead of being able to concentrate on desperately needed pitching and a bit of depth, the coaching staff now needs to replace two highly productive starters, as well.
Lead photo by Ryan Kelapire