It turns out that sometimes what you read on Facebook is true. A rumor that started in a Facebook fan group has been confirmed by another source. Two-time All-American outfielder Dakota Kennedy has put her name into the transfer portal.
Kennedy has not made a public statement about transferring, but the previously unverified reports circulated all weekend.
Kennedy becomes the ninth Wildcat to go into the portal after the season. While the other eight were understandable from a playing time perspective and were unlikely to be huge blows from a production standpoint, nothing could be further from the truth about Kennedy.
Kennedy has appeared in 151 games and made 147 starts. She has improved in almost all old-fashioned offensive stats. Her batting average has gone up each year. Her strikeouts have gone down. Her home runs went down this year, but her slugging percentage went up because she used her speed to get four triples.
Her craftiness in the box cannot be overstated. Her ability to use the short game and her speed are intensified by the double-digit home runs she hit in each of her first two seasons. The knowledge of when to do what seems innate, although it undoubtedly takes hard work.
While she didn’t have NCAA qualifying stats this season due to an injury, she picked up just where she left off when she returned. The only difference was wearing a sliding glove on her hand and perhaps fewer dives in the outfield on defense.
Kennedy has been an NFCA All-American the past two years. She was a Rawlings Gold Glove outfielder in 2024. She has been all-conference in both the Pac-12 and Big 12 for her entire career. She was a CSC Academic All-American last year and is in the running again this year.
Arizona has not had a star transfer out of the program since Sharlize Palacios after the 2022 season. Kennedy is an even bigger blow, though. Her production has been consistent. She has been the leadoff hitter for two years. When her offense and defense are combined, few in the game are bigger threats.
There are bigger issues, as well. Palacios left a year after a head coaching change. That’s not uncommon. A player may give a new coach a year then decide to leave. That’s not the case this time, though. Kennedy was a member of Caitlin Lowe’s first recruiting class.
Her decision to leave also brings up other questions. Most of those revolve around the why and the repercussions.
There seemed to be few reasons for Kennedy to go. In school, she carries a 4.0 GPA and is headed into her senior year. Her playing time is not in question. Her personal achievements are not, either. Over her three-year career, she probably has more personal accolades than anyone else on the team.
From a family perspective, hers was never one that caused public drama. They’ve been supportive and positive. Her younger sister, a 2027 pitching recruit, was tagging Arizona pitching coach Christian Conrad with her stats as late as Wednesday, May 28. In short, there did not seem to be family reasons to move on.
The team’s achievements might carry more weight, though. The Wildcats have a lot of wins, but they have had not gotten over the hump when it comes to putting up new banners. The team has not won a conference title since 2017.
As a senior, Kennedy’s chances of getting a national title or even a conference title with her team are dwindling. Arizona would have to make huge additions in the transfer portal to be a team that can get to the Women’s College World Series next year, let alone win it. That was true even before the previous eight went into the portal. Even winning the Big 12 will be difficult without some high-profile players coming in, especially in the circle.
There are also dwindling chances for Kennedy to make good money in the NIL or revenue sharing markets. While the opportunities in professional softball are increasing with the addition of a new league, the ability to support oneself let alone make a good income is still far easier at the college level.
Lead photo by Ryan Kelapire