The departure of ten players via the transfer portal would seem to put Arizona softball in a position of dire need of numbers. In reality, they don’t need to add as many as they lost. That doesn’t mean their needs aren’t pressing.
The Wildcats carried a roster of 22 last year, which is larger than is typical for the program. It was the largest roster of head coach Caitlin Lowe’s tenure. The 22 players represent a 10 percent increase over her next-largest roster (20 in 2024) and a 29 percent increase over her smallest roster (17 in 2022).
The average roster size for Arizona under Lowe is 19.25. That seems like a good target for 2026. The Wildcats have some very specific needs that require the addition of between four and six players. That would give them a roster of 18-20 for next season.
Keeping the roster about that size would also help keep players satisfied with their playing time. The current number of portal entries is the largest since Lowe took over. The majority of the players in the portal did not get the amount of playing time they got in previous years.
Some of the playing time distribution was related to the players’ effectiveness when they did get opportunities. Based on the year’s stats, it’s difficult to argue that most of the players who played were less effective than the ones who didn’t. There may have been one or two who didn’t get adequate time based on production, but they were in the minority.
Dissatisfaction with playing time should not be as big of a problem next year as long as the number of portal additions is not excessive, and they rarely are. The most Lowe has added in a single season is three. She has done that twice, including this year. Each time at least one of the additions came from the juco ranks and did not play much (or at all).
Arizona will need to add more than they ever have under Lowe if they are going to meet the needs on the field. What are those needs and who might Arizona be looking at to fill them?
Pitcher
Arizona will have two pitchers with almost no experience on the staff next year. They have also added rising sophomore Jenae Berry from Indiana. Berry is young, but she got over 60 innings of work during her rookie year with the Hoosiers.
The Wildcats need at least one more from the transfer ranks to augment Berry, fellow rising sophomore Sarah Wright, and incoming freshman Rylie Holder. A staff of four should allow enough innings to spread around while keeping the team from getting into a depth crunch if someone goes down with an injury. Five would probably be ideal considering the inexperience of the three currently on the staff.
Information floating around suggests that Arizona is currently exploring at least three more options. Softball America verifies one of those on the list below, but the Wildcats have likely reached out to the others, as well.
Abby Dunning, RHP, Boston College – Dunning was a senior this year but pitched just seven innings, so she gets a do-over in 2026. She left after facing two batters in a game against Florida on Feb. 13 and sat out for the rest of the season.
Softball America notes that she is a virtual toss-up to go to either Arizona or Duke, both of which have extended offers. The Wildcats are a slight favorite (53.3 to 46.7 percent) according to the site, although it doesn’t indicate what it bases that on.
The outlet rates Dunning as a four-star transfer prospect. They give her a score of 91 on their scale. That is a higher rating and score than any of the four former Arizona pitchers in the portal.
Dunning was a workhorse for the Eagles during her sophomore and junior seasons. She threw 158 innings in 2023 and 182 in 2024. She had a 2.88 ERA in her second season and dropped it to 2.46 during her third year.
The native of Illinois tended to walk batters, though. In 2023, her 1.46 WHIP was largely due to 103 walks. She had 0.65 walks per inning and a 1.43 strikeout-to-walk ratio. In comparison, Arizona’s best option in those stats this year was Devyn Netz with just 0.14 walks per inning and a 5.36 strikeout-to-walk ratio, although she only had 118 strikeouts compared to Dunning’s 147.
Dunning had a 3.11 career ERA in 412 innings at BC. Her career strikeout-to-walk ratio was 1.52, and she had a career WHIP of 1.44. Opponents hit .222 against her. During her last complete season, she held opposing batters to a .207 average, although.
One thing working in Arizona’s favor is that Dunning comes from the same travel team as freshman catcher Emma Kavanagh. It was not a club that the Wildcats had drawn from in the past, but the addition of one of its top players last year may have established a relationship that can be used in Arizona’s favor.
Caitlin Olensky, LHP, Nebraska – The sophomore from New Jersey has only pitched 55.1 innings in two years. With Jordy Bahl back next year, there still won’t be a lot of innings to go around. Bahl pitched 206.1 innings this year. No one else on the five-pitcher staff went for more than 63, and Olensky got the fewest with just 8.2 innings.
With as few innings as she had, it’s no surprise that Olensky pitched very little against Power 4 teams this season. She threw in just two Big Ten games. The last one came on Mar. 23, and she didn’t appear in another game this season. She went just 0.2 innings against Ohio State, giving up one run on two hits. She gave up one run on three hits in 2.0 IP against Minnesota.
Olensky got more time against Power 4 competition in 2024, but it didn’t go much better. She faced Washington, Duke, UCLA, Utah, Missouri, and Illinois. She surrendered 11 earned runs over 11 innings for an ERA of 7.00.
She was superb in high school, sporting a career ERA of 0.92 in 212 innings over three seasons at Montville High School. She averaged 1.99 strikeouts per inning against 0.19 walks. The question comes back to competition level, though. Morris County may be the wealthiest part of New Jersey, but what is the softball like?
Maya Johnson, LHP, Belmont—Johnson would be a big get. The redshirt senior already has her bachelor’s degree in nursing. If she’s looking for an advanced nursing degree, Arizona has a great program. Nursing has been a popular major for many Wildcats in years past.
On the field, Softball America named her an All-American. The outlet has her as a four-star transfer prospect with a score of 95.
She led the NCAA in strikeouts last year with 366. Those stacked up against just 22 walks. She went 24-6, including wins over ASU and Georgia Tech. She also led Belmont to its first NCAA tournament in program history.
Johnson took the program’s top spot in career strikeouts when she hit 611 in late March. A month later, her 47th career win became the program’s top mark and she hit 700 strikeouts. She ended her career with 757 punchouts.
Johnson had a 1.52 ERA in 207 innings this past season. Batters hit .155 against her. She started 32 games and completed 23 of them. She had 11 shutouts.
Johnson redshirted her first year at Pittsburgh. She ended her three years at Belmont with a 1.63 ERA in 458.1 IP. She started 66 games and threw 36 complete outings. Batters hit .177 against her in 83 appearances.
Infield
As of now, most of Arizona’s starting infield will be back next season. Third baseman Jenna Sniffen and shortstop Tayler Biehl started all of Arizona’s games at those positions in 2025. Second baseman Kiki Escobar shared time with the now-departed Logan Cole, but Escobar played most of the innings after the Big 12 schedule started. That takes care of three of the four infield positions.
Arizona’s biggest need will be at first base. In 2025, it was the shared responsibility of Miranda Stoddard and Devyn Netz when they weren’t pitching. Theoretically, they could try to slot Kavanagh there to get the rising sophomore on the field and in the lineup, but who knows if she’s suited to playing first base at the college level. They also have a corner infielder in the freshman class, but it appears that they might be exploring more experienced options, as well.
Tianna Bell, 1B, California – The Wildcats appear to be in a battle with ASU for the services of the former Golden Bear. Softball America has the two teams neck-and-neck for her commitment with Florida State slightly behind.
Bell improved offensively each of her first three years in Berkeley. Her batting average went from .226 to .305 to .347. Her slugging percentage started at .409, stepped up to .578, then went up to .659 her junior year. Her on-base percentage improved from .333 to .398 to .401. She had five home runs as a freshman, 12 as a sophomore, and 15 as a junior.
One thing that could work in Arizona’s favor here is the coaching staff. Arizona hitting coach Amber Freeman was at Cal for Bell’s freshman and sophomore seasons.
Outfield
Tallen Edwards, IF/OF, Oklahoma State—The Cowgirl utility player, who has played third base and left field in Stillwater. She originally seemed like an odd fit because both third and left seemed pretty locked down for the Wildcats with Dakota Kennedy and Jenna Sniffen. With the transfer intentions of left fielder Kennedy now obvious, the scenario is more likely.
Edwards is versatile. Lowe has shown a fondness for that kind of player in her short time leading Arizona. According to Softball America, the Wildcats have offered Edwards, but they are battling Texas and Ole Miss with all three hovering just over or under 30 percent likelihood for her next stop. The outlet rates her as a four-star transfer prospect with a score of 92.
Edwards is from Moore, Okla, so Texas is closer to home. Texas is also playing for a national title this week. Can Arizona beat the Longhorns for her services? Can they beat an Ole Miss program that is obviously dumping money into the softball program for the kind of perks Arizona has never offered?
Other Interesting Prospects
There is at least some evidence that the players listed above have garnered some interest from Arizona. The evidence for the players below is not as solid as those listed above.
Chloe Barber, RHP/UT, Wichita State – The sophomore from Minnesota is a bit of an enigma. She burst on the scene in 2024 with a strong rookie campaign. She had multiple appearances against ranked teams and did very well in them. In just her fourth appearance, she went up against 14th-ranked Arkansas and threw a complete game. She gave up one run and struck out 15.
Barber made eight appearances against teams in the Big 12, Big Ten, and SEC during her freshman year, pitching a total of 30 innings. Her team went 4-4 in those games and she had a 4.20 ERA.
Overall, she went 10-6 with 28 appearances and 19 starts. She had a 3.70 ERA in 94.2 IP. She struck out 143 for an average of 1.5 per inning. She had 2.23 strikeouts per walk. Opponents hit just .205 against her.
Things did not go so well in her second season. Barber’s innings plunged to 73.2 and her ERA spiked to 5.99, although the schedule was a bit more difficult. WSU played some tough Power 4 competition, including two games against Oklahoma, and some strong mid-major opponents like Liberty and GCU. She made six fewer appearances and seven fewer starts while amassing a 5-7 record.
Her strikeouts were less than half what they were the year before at 68, but her walks stayed fairly stable at 62. That was good for 0.92 strikeouts per inning and a 1.09 strikeout-to-walk ratio. Batters hit .307 against her.
If Arizona can land Barber, the Wildcats will be crossing their fingers that she just needs a change of scenery to get back to being the player she was her freshman season.
Desirae Spearman, RHP/OF, New Mexico State – Arizona wasn’t the only team running out pitchers who could smack the ball around in 2025. The Wildcats faced several, including Spearman.
The sophomore might find Arizona attractive since the Wildcats just proved that they will let talented hitters hit even if they also pitch. Tucson is also within a six-hour drive of her hometown of El Paso, Tex.
Spearman was both the Player of the Year and the Freshman of the Year for Conference USA in 2024. In 2025, she made her second straight appearance on the All-CUSA First Team. She made the list as an outfielder this season. That is an area where Arizona could also use depth.
Spearman has a career ERA of 3.38 in 199 IP. Her strikeout-to-walk ratio (1.50) could use some improvement.
Her ERA went up this season, but advanced stats like FIP, xFIP, and SIERA remained fairly steady and within solid ranges. The biggest difference was a .020 jump in her BABIP, suggesting that the increase in earned runs might not have been solely about her pitching.
Pie in the sky
There are possibilities, reaches, and then there are dreams. This section is for the dreams that Arizona likely has no way of getting. Money, the state of the roster, and the prospects for success next year will probably deter any real interest from the player below, but she does demonstrate that stars jump ship all the time—even from very successful programs.
Kaitlyn Terry, LHP/OF, UCLA—One Oklahoma fan site posted an article with the headline, “Oklahoma softball’s next ace may have just entered the transfer portal.” It might be right.
Terry is one of just two transfers that Softball America has designated as five-star players. The other is Kennedy. Could the Wildcats replace one top transfer with another at a more critical position?
Truth be told, Terry is likely to end up at a place like Oklahoma with a current history of winning titles and resources to spare. Oklahoma was said to be offering upwards of $50,000 a year to some players in the first years after NIL became legal in NCAA sports. That would still be a sizable chunk of money, but who knows what prices are these days?
Softball America has the Sooners battling Texas Tech for her. In short, the rich potentially getting richer. Oklahoma currently doesn’t have the pitching strength that TTU has, but TTU’s strength currently comes down to one player; the Red Raiders have no depth. Can Terry get enough innings with NiJaree Canady ahead of her? Maybe or maybe not, but she might get to be on a team that competes for a title, and then take over as top dog her senior year after Canady is gone.
Terry sports a career ERA of 2.50 after putting up a 2.64 this season. She is on a staff where she is one of three pitchers who get triple-digit innings, but she has to share the spotlight.
If Arizona were to have any shot at Terry, it would have to lean on three things. First, Terry is from Glendale. Could coming back to her home state be attractive for the junior-to-be? Second, she did some hitting and played right field last year. If she wants to be a two-way player, Arizona coaches have shown that they will nurture that. Third, there are a lot of innings to be had, and she would be the definitive ace.
Terry had her ups and downs this year. One of them came against the Wildcats when she went 8.2 innings and took the loss in a faceoff against Netz. Her 2.64 ERA, 20 wins, 148.1 IP, 1.05 WHIP, and .257 batting average were all good, but they were inferior to the numbers put up by Netz. The ERA and batting average against were inferior to Stoddard’s stats, as well.
The difference is that Terry has kept an ERA in the mid-2s both years of her career. That kind of consistency in the circle is something Arizona desperately needs. The Wildcats can get offense somewhere else.
One can always dream.