Five Notable Names In The College Softball Transfer Portal

By Robert Cortez
on July 2, 2021

The transfer portal is more active than ever this offseason, as it currently contains the names of hundreds of college softball players who are on the move.

Here are five players who have the chance to make an instant impact on the next program they choose to join.

See Softball America's Transfer Tracker here.

KB Sides (Update: Committed to Arkansas)

Sides spent her first four years of college at the University of Alabama. The Dora, Ala. native carried above a .300 batting average in her three years as a starter for the Crimson Tide. Sides' best season at the plate came in the shortened 2020 campaign when she boasted a team-leading .483 batting average, which allowed her to be named a Softball America All-American. She brings speed on the basepaths, as she has 43 career stolen bases with a 90% success rate.

Sides was an SEC All-Defensive team member in 2021.

Mack Leonard (Update: Committed to Florida State)

The biggest bat in the Illinois State lineup finds herself in the transfer portal after three years as a Redbird. Leonard led her team with a .425 batting average and in six other offensive categories as well, allowing her to be named a first-team All-Missouri Valley Conference honoree. The rising senior recorded 18 multi-hit games and a 26-game on-base streak in 2021.

Leonard also led her team in batting average (.443) in the shortened 2020 season and did not commit an error on the field.

The 2021 season was Leonard’s best in the pitching circle, as she finished with a record of 11-4 and a 2.59 ERA. Leonard tallied 80 strikeouts throughout the season.

Alyssa Brito

One of the Pac-12’s best freshmen in 2021 will search for a new home after spending one year in Eugene, Ore. Brito started 53 games at shortstop for Oregon and was named a member of the Pac-12 All-Defensive team after posting a .971 fielding percentage.

The Tustin, Calif. native tallied the second-most RBI on the team with 31. Brito was one of four Ducks to have double-digit home runs (10) and posted a .299 batting average. She had 12 multi-hit games.

Due to her efforts on the field and at the plate, Brito made the Pac-12 All-Freshman team and was a second-team All-Pac-12 selection.

Ally Shipman

Shipman was a staple behind the plate for Tennessee during her first three years in college. This past season was Shipman’s first full season behind the dish, as she suffered a season-ending injury in mid-March of 2019 and the 2020 season was halted due to the COVID-19 pandemic. She gunned down seven of 15 would-be base stealers. The rising senior posted a .991 fielding percentage and only allowed three passed balls in 2021.

In all three seasons as a Lady Vol, Shipman had at least a .300 batting average. Her best season at the plate was in 2020 when she carried a team-leading .403 batting average. Shipman has 13 career home runs and 27 extra-base hits.

Kendall Talley

Talley will seek a new program to call home for a third time after early departures from Lamar and Louisiana. The first-team All-Sun Belt Conference honoree was a major strength in the Ragin' Cajuns' offensive lineup in 2021. She posted the second-best batting average on the team (.343), which ranked only behind Ciara Bryan, who was the Sun Belt Conference Player of the Year.

Talley is a major threat on the basepaths, as she was 14-for-18 in stolen bases this past season and has swiped 24 bags in her collegiate career.

The rising senior outfielder only committed one error this past season for a fielding percentage of .984.