College Softball's Top Pitchers Entering 2021

By Austin Wales
on December 18, 2020

As all softball fans know, pitching can make or break a team's chances of winning, and truly separate the good and great squads at every level of the sport. Whether it's right-handed power pitchers or southpaw specialists, pitching talent abounds across the college game today.

As we look ahead to the 2021 college softball season, we at Softball America are taking some time to examine a handful of the top college players at each position on the field.

See below for three of the best pitchers in the college game today.

Megan Faraimo

Redshirt Sophomore, UCLA

In place of Rachel Garcia, who was on tour with Team USA ahead of what was supposed to be the 2020 Olympics, Faraimo stepped into the main pitching role for the Bruins last season. And she more than stepped up for UCLA. Faraimo, who posted a 0.85 ERA last year, will likely not have the same workload this spring as she had in 2020. But you can expect that she'll still log substantial innings for the Bruins and be a vital part of the deadliest pitching combo in college softball in 2021.

Miranda Elish

Senior, Texas

Elish, who was the main workhorse for Texas in 2020, posted a 1.25 ERA with a record of 11-3 and 96 strikeouts. She'll look to once again be one of the top pitchers in the college game this season, and will likely be tasked with the majority of innings for the Longhorns for her final college softball campaign, as her team hopes to make a push toward the Women's College World Series.

Rachel Garcia

Redshirt Senior, UCLA

It should come as no surprise that Garcia is on this list of the best pitchers in the college game for 2021. During UCLA's national championship–winning season in 2019, Garcia posted a 29-1 record with a 1.14 ERA and 286 strikeouts. Even with the depth the Pac-12 will have in 2021, expect Garcia to be at the top of her game, especially as she looks toward Tokyo this summer and helping Team USA capture the gold medal at the Olympics.