NCAA softball transfer portal: 5 stars from Women’s College World Series look for new teams

Some of the best players in college softball from this past season will be playing next year in a new place and with a different uniform.

East Carolina’s Emma Jackson, who slapped 21 home runs over the fence this season, landed at Missouri. All-American catcher Jasmyn Burns, previously of Ohio State, has already joined Texas Tech. The national leader in strikeouts, Belmont’s Maya Johnson, and the national leader in hits, Boise State’s Sophia Knight, have entered the transfer portal too. Knight has already signed with Tennessee.

Now that the Women’s College World Series is over after Texas beat Texas Tech in a thrilling three-game series, many key players from the eight teams that made the trip to Oklahoma City have decided to look for greener pastures. As evidenced by their performances this past season, these are players that could help their new teams win a whole lot of games and make deep runs into the postseason.

These are the best players in the transfer portal from the softball teams that played in the World Series this year:

Kaitlyn Terry — Pitcher/Utility, UCLA

The Pac-12 Freshman of the Year in 2024, Terry had another strong campaign for UCLA as a sophomore as she became the first Bruins’ pitcher since Rachel Garcia to open her career with back-to-back 20-win seasons. In addition to posting a 2.64 ERA with 172 strikeouts, Terry had a decent season at the plate too with 35 hits and 30 runs scored. Terry, a lefthander, was 11th nationally in strikeout-to-walk ratio with a 5.06 mark.

Mia Williams — Second Base, Florida

The daughter of former Florida basketball player and NBA champion Jason Williams, the sophomore infielder was a crucial part of the Gators’ success this season and earned All-SEC and All-American honors. Williams posted a 1.144 OPS, 61 hits, 52 runs, 19 homers and 44 RBI.

Addisen Fisher — Pitcher, UCLA

The right-hander from Bend, Oregon, had a standout season for the Bruins as arguably their second-best pitcher, piling up a 16-2 record, 100 strikeouts and a 2.59 ERA in 113 innings of work. Fisher was named a First Team Freshman All-American by D1 Softball and was a finalist for NFCA Freshman of the Year. She was ranked as the No. 1 recruit in 2024 by Softball America.

Corri Hicks — Catcher, Oklahoma

Hicks didn’t play all that much as a freshman this past season for the Sooners, but showed flashes of the potential that made her a top 15 recruit in the 2024 class, like when she hit a walk-off home run against Boston University in the regional stage of the NCAA Tournament. In 23 at-bats this season, Hicks had six hits, three of which were dingers. She posted an OPS of 1.045.

Raegan Jennings — Infielder, Texas Tech

Jennings led the Red Raiders’ bench with 35 hits and 20 runs scored in 88 plate appearances. Texas Tech head coach Gerry Glasco called her an “All-American-type pinch hitter” after she came up with a big single and scored a run in the Red Raiders’ Game 2 World Series win over Texas. She’s a sophomore who hits left-handed and had a .398 batting average this year.