2019 Recruiting: Top Transfer Classes (10-6)

On Tuesday, we took a look at some of the top transfer classes with No.'s 15-11. Now, we are diving into No.'s 10-6. Each one of these programs have positives to build on heading into the 2020 season and have brought in transfers who may be their difference makers.

10. Mizzou
Junior: Casidy Chaumont, Imani Myint, Sophie Dandola

Without a doubt, Mizzou was the biggest surprise of the season. Many counted the Tigers out early and they shocked the country when they went into the Los Angeles Regional and beat UCLA in the first game. Their transfer additions are top-notch and fit the Tigers’ new style of play.

Imani Myint and Sophie Dandola both played for head coach Larissa Anderson at Hofstra two years ago. Dandola will most likely have to sit this season because it’s her second transfer but Myint is looking to build on a solid 2019.

Myint made one start in 2018 but appeared in 31 games. She started 28 games in 2019 and appeared in 41 games with a .282 average and .317 on-base percentage. She can play infield and outfield.

The biggest addition is Casidy Chaumont. The junior was the starting second baseman at Louisiana the past two years and is reunited with former coach Chris Malveaux in CoMo.

Chaumont hit .207 with five homers and 28 RBIs her freshman year and improved to .286 last year. Almost half of her hits have been for extra bases and she has a career on-base percentage of .305.

Analysis: The idea of having Chaumont and Rollin in the middle infield is scary good. Myint will have to find her way into the lineup on a consistent basis and if Dandola is approved to play in 2020, she will be a huge addition. If not, watch out in 2021.

9. Georgia Tech
Redshirt Junior: Madison McPherson
Sophomore: Kennedy Cowden, Lexi Ray

Last year’s pitching staff at GT was mostly Morgan Bruce and Brooke Barfield. Bruce led with 177.1 innings while Barfield had 91. The rest of the innings were scattered among three others.

Madison McPherson comes in from Georgia and is a unique add because she is considered a utility player. She is a lefty pitcher but can also hit.

She saw limited action in her first three years at UGA that included a redshirt freshman year in 2017. In 2018, she played in four game with one pitching appearance and then pitched 16.1 innings last year.

Kennedy Cowden was a stud in high school but was primarily used a pinch runner at Kentucky last year. As a freshman, she played in 38 games and scored 14 runs.

Lexi Ray was named to the 2019 OVC All-Newcomer Team at UT Martin. She finished her freshman year 8-8 with a 2.97 ERA in just under 100 innings of work. She pitched a perfect game against Tennessee Tech which was the program’s third perfect game and eighth no-hitter.

Analysis: Georgia Tech really needed pitching help for Morgan Bruce last year and they’ve hopefully found two arms in McPherson and Ray. Ray has the most experience of the two and her success in the OVC should translate to the ACC. Cowden will definitely help the outfield and gives the Jackets some speed on bases. McPherson adds much needed depth to the staff.

8. Oregon State
Grad: Trystan Melancon
Junior: Morgan Allen
Redshirt Sophomore: Rylee Maston

After finishing the 2019 season as one of the first four out, Oregon State has brought in three transfers to help in a couple areas.

Trystan Melancon is a grad transfer from Houston. She saw her innings decrease each season but in three seasons, she compiled a career record of 25-20 in 60 appearances. She pitched 23 complete games, 281.1 innings and an earned run average of 2.91.

Going off numbers alone, last season was her best despite having fewer appearances. She had a career-low 2.28 ERA and opponents hit .187 against her. She pitched a perfect game against DePaul and her second no-hitter against Northern Illinois. There was also a three-game stretch when she pitched three consecutive shutouts.

Rylee Maston was a highly-touted recruit at Arizona State. She appeared in 15 games her freshman year and recorded her first career hit in the 2018 NCAA Super Regional against South Carolina.

She was granted a medical redshirt last season but is ready to go for 2020. Of the three rostered catchers at OSU, Maston has the most postseason experience and the Beavers are searching for someone to step up to fill Kayleen Shafer’s shoes.

Morgan Allen is the third transfer to round out this class. At Washington, she was used primarily as a pinch runner and appeared in 10 games. She had four at-bats and has yet to record a hit but she has drawn two walks and scored four runs.

Analysis: OSU may have found exactly what it needs to get back into the NCAA Tournament. Melancon and Maston should be great additions to the lineup while Allen will have to prove herself to earn more playing time.

7. Louisville
Redshirt Junior: Carmyn Greenwood
Junior: Chardonnay Harris

The Cardinals pushed Northwestern to the brink of elimination in Regionals last year and the addition of two healthy SEC transfers could help in 2020.

Chardonnay Harris emerged late for Auburn when Makayla Martin went down with an injury. Harris, when 100 percent healthy, had the ability to shutout teams like Tennessee, Florida, South Carolina, Missouri and Colorado State.

She pitched 106 innings last season and was tied for the team-high with 11 wins. She had a 2.91 ERA but was just starting to find herself towards the end of the season.

In 2018, she made 18 appearances and had a 1.83 ERA in 38.1 innings with 43 strikeouts. If Harris is happy and healthy, she could run through the ACC and help Louisville get back to its glory days.

Carmyn Greenwood is another Auburn transfer joining U of L and joins her sister. Greenwood was a starter under Clint Myers her freshman year despite have a .189 average. She found ways to get on base and only made one error in the outfield.

She redshirted in 2018 and appeared in 52 games in 2019. If head coach Holly Aprile believes in Greenwood’s ability, the sky is the limit.

Analysis: Louisville was fun to watch this season and should be very similar this year. The ACC is improving top to bottom every year and the Cardinals should finish in the top half.

6. NC State
Senior: Abby Trahan, Tatyana Forbes
Junior: Samantha Sack, Carson Shaner

The Wolfpack came within two wins of earning an NCAA Tournament berth in the first year under a new coaching staff.

The glaring hole was behind the plate. NC State didn’t have an everyday starting catcher and that will change this year with Coastal Carolina transfer Samantha Sack. She finished last season with a .228 batting average with five homers and 11 RBIs. Defensively, she caught 16 of 27 runners and was charged with only one passed ball in 44 appearances.

Tatyana Forbes’ waiver was cleared and she is set to play in Raleigh this season after spending the summer with Olympic-qualified Team Mexico.

The first two years of her career were spent at Coastal Carolina were she was a Top-10 finalist for NFCA/Schutt Sports Division I National Freshman of the Year Award. She broke the conference and program record for single-season hits with 104 and finished fifth in the country with a .479 batting average.

She was named to USA Softball’s Top 50 Collegiate Player of the Year Watch List prior to her sophomore season and hit .406.

Her junior year was spent at Florida International where she started 37 games and compiled a .317 batting average and .365 on-base percentage.

Carson Shaner joins the Pack from UNC Wilmington. She’s improved each season starting with 10 starts in 2018 and 21 starts last year. She finished her sophomore year with a .307 average and recorded 20 RBIs and 23 hits.

Abby Trahan will have to redshirt this season because it’s her second transfer in as many seasons but having a two-time conference pitcher of the year in two different conferences will help the mindset of the staff as a whole.

Analysis: This could be one of the best transfer classes in the country. Forbes will join Sam Russ at the top of the lineup and that should set the table for the home run heavy offense.

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