Oklahoma, Tennessee softball lead 2024 preseason Power 10 rankings
College softball season is rapidly approaching — opening day is Thursday, Feb. 8 — and offseason magic has transformed some of these teams. Without further ado, here are Michella Chester’s preseason Power 10 picks.
1. Oklahoma
Along with returning Nicole May and Kierston Deal in the circle, the Sooners are bringing in Kelly Maxwell (Oklahoma State transfer). Maxwell is the Division I active leader in career strikeout rate (10.54 per seven innings), a two-time All-American and someone who already has more than a few Team USA innings under her belt. She gave up six earned runs in four innings across two appearances against OU last season and has a 5.47 ERA against the Sooners in her career, compared to a 1.38 ERA against the rest of Division I. But, try finding a pitcher over the past few years whose splits against Oklahoma aren’t similarly skewed.
Get to know 𝐊𝐞𝐥𝐥𝐲 𝐌𝐚𝐱𝐰𝐞𝐥𝐥.
Meet Kelly on and off the field on episode four of Championship Mindset, live on https://t.co/RrgGf7q5rm and ESPN+ ‼️
🖥 https://t.co/43dDSW8gbM
📺 https://t.co/M30RY8FlYB#ChampionshipMindset | @MidFirst pic.twitter.com/TU1z1c0Q21— Oklahoma Softball (@OU_Softball) February 2, 2024
The Sooners will play in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, Louisiana and California in three invitationals and then are scheduled to play their first game on Love’s Field March 1.
2. Tennessee
Tennessee made program history last season by winning the SEC regular season and tournament titles in the same year. The Lady Vols prolonged the successful run all the way to the Women’s College World Series, their first appearance since 2015.
Can they repeat with a lineup returning virtually intact aside from losing ace Ashley Rogers?
Tennessee returns 18 players from last year’s Women’s College World Series team that finished 51-10 (19-5) and won the SEC regular-season and tournament titles in the same season for the first time in program history.
Junior catcher Sophia Nugent is the latest to arrive in Knoxville as an Oklahoma transfer. The California native made 50 appearances with 18 starts last season for the three-time defending national champions. Nugent batted .274 with five doubles, seven home runs and 23 RBIs. The Vols recruited her hard out of high school. “She is a very good catcher. She has a really good arm and also swings a big bat,” Weekly said. “It will be nice to plug her in the middle of the order.”
Transfer Laura Mealer from Middle Tennessee State batted .388, 12 HR and 20 doubles. Freshman Bella Faw has instantly turned heads at Sherri Parker Lee Stadium. The Georgia native will be the likely starter at shortstop as a rookie.
Twins Alannah and Gabby Leach are following in the footsteps of older sisters, Aubrey and Kelcy, in playing for Tennessee. Aubrey remains on staff as a graduate assistant. The twins both bat left, throw left and play the outfield. They can bunt, slap and swing away.
Gottshall finished 16-2 with a 1.65 ERA, 130 strikeouts and 22 walks in 110.0 innings last season after transferring to Tennessee from Bowling Green. Pickens burst onto the scene as a rookie before enduring some struggles as the season wore on. The SEC Freshman of the Year finished 9-7 with a 3.05 ERA, 99 strikeouts and 37 walks in 87.1 IP.
Graduate senior Kiki Milloy is arguably the most dynamic player in the country. The All-American centerfielder batted .406 and slugged .929 last season while leading the nation in home runs (25) and stealing 40 bases in 41 attempts.
Senior Zaida Puni and junior McKenna “Boo” Gibson each drove in 60 runs last season. Puni batted .363 and slugged .725 with 14 home runs and 14 doubles while Gibson batted .362 and slugged .718 with 15 home runs and 11 doubles.
Sophomore Taylor Pannell was hitting .357 through seven games before injuring her shoulder hitting a home run. Pannell and Nugent are expected to provide even more power to the order.
3. Stanford
Big Ten Player and Freshman of the year Taryn Kern transferred from Indiana to add a big power bat to the Stanford lineup. She broke three single-season IU program records: home runs (23), RBI (65) and runs scored (68), and led the Hoosiers in batting average (.404), on base percentage (.578) and slugging percentage (.942).
🥎 2023 WCWS: See the full bracket from last year’s tournament
The Cardinal rebuild officially reached its pinnacle a year ago, when Jessica Allister led her alma mater back to the Women’s College World Series after a decades-long absence. As she did, the Cardinal also re-established the Stanford softball way: Heavily reliant on dominant pitching, solid defense, and the offensive pieces capable of coming through when needed.
The only reason NiJaree Canady didn’t take home an All-American trophy last season was because she fell just short of the inning minimum after missing some time with a mid-season injury; the National Freshman of the Year turned in one of the more impressive performances in recent memory by a rookie pitcher.
Don’t overlook Gold Glove-winning catcher Aly Kaneshiro and her work behind the plate. The addition of Kern to the offense is a difference-maker, giving what was sometimes a light-hitting Cardinal batting order a power-hitting cornerstone. Kern’s addition makes the rest of the lineup better — she’s the name opponents will circle, giving other hitters a chance to see better pitches.
4. Florida State
Makenna Reid will enter her sophomore season as the unquestioned ace after an outstanding 2023 freshman season. Coach Lonni Alameda brought her along carefully, but Reid exemplified poise in several outings with outstanding numbers.
The loss of Josie Muffley at shortstop will be nearly impossible to replace, but newcomer Isa Torres could eventually fill that role as a former All-Central Texas Defensive Player of the Year as a shortstop. The Noles also have the No. 3 incoming 2024 freshmen class in the nation to bolster their roster.
5. Texas
The Longhorns have five seniors — valuable names in the bunch — but pairing another lauded freshman class with sophomores Reese Atwood, Leighann Goode, Citlaly Gutierrez, Ashton Maloney and Viviana Martinez makes this feel like a team on the rise.
Texas ranked 32nd in team ERA a season ago and 47th in weighted on-base average, trailing six of eight WCWS teams in the former and seven of eight in the latter. With freshman Teagan Kavan joining Estelle Czech, Gutierrez, Mac Morgan and Sophia Simpson, it’s as deep as almost any staff out there. But to get from a super regional ceiling to a deep run in OKC, competition needs to translate into results that push the pitching efficiency into the top 20.
6. Georgia
The Bulldogs return almost everyone. A loaded Georgia team believes it has all the goods to win the SEC and make a deep postseason run. The 2024 offense will be ran by Jayda Kearney and Sara Mosley.
Senior outfielder Jayda Kearney, Georgia softball.
After Shelby Walters made an immediate impact to the pitching staff last season, Georgia added another ACC arm through the transfer portal. Junior Lilli Backes was the ace of the North Carolina staff last season with a 2.79 ERA and 156 strikeouts. Backes will give the Dawgs another starting option outside of Walters and Madison Kerpics.
Offense is rarely a problem at Georgia. The Dawgs hit 92 home runs last season, but also have speed in the lineup as well. Kearney, Mosley, Sydney Chambley and Sydney Kuma are threats at the plate, and the Dawgs added ACC Freshman of the Year Sarah Gordon from Louisville as a transfer. Although balls are still expected to leave the yard in high volume at Jack Turner Stadium, they won’t be sailing over as many trees: some were cut down as part of a ballpark renovation currently taking place.
7. Clemson
Clemson pushed three-time defending national champion Oklahoma to the limit in the second game of NCAA super regionals last season in Norman, before falling 8-7 in a nine-inning classic. It marked the second-straight season the Tigers reached super regionals. For a program entering just its fourth full season of competition, the bar has been set high for Clemson.
The Tigers have received critical contributions from transfers over the last few years, and they are hoping to get the same in 2024 with Lindsey Garcia (Auburn) and Alex Brown (North Carolina) arriving. Garcia is seeing time in the infield and outfield during the fall. The graduate senior batted .280 with 45 hits, 30 runs scored, 10 home runs and 43 RBIs at Auburn last season.
Brown is plenty familiar with the ACC. The junior infielder led UNC last season with a .399 batting average and 63 hits. She batted .434 in ACC play.
Valerie Cagle is the biggest star on Clemson. And the Tigers return all the big pieces of the staff while adding the freshman arms. Cagle has been the ace since the program’s first season of existence. The right-hander was 25-8 with a 1.56 ERA, 188 strikeouts and 35 walks in 193.0 innings last season. She led the nation in Wins Above Replacement at 13.6, which was a full 4.2 points higher than No. 2. (data courtesy of 643 Charts & Synergy Sports).
Millie Thompson has developed into an ace in her own right. The senior lefty finished 14-3 last season with a 1.82 ERA, 72 strikeouts and 15 walks in 92.1 IP. Junior right-hander Brooke McCubbin came on strong at the end of the last season, finishing 5-1 with a 1.34 ERA in 73.1 IP. Senior right-hander Regan Spencer was 5-0 with a 1.73 ERA in 32.1 IP.
Offensively, veterans Cagle, McKenzie Clark and Alia Logoleo form a strong returning core at the plate for Clemson. Cagle batted.469 with 19 home runs, 15 doubles, 50 runs scored and 57 RBIs last season. She slugged .887 and had a 1.452 OPS. Clark batted .335 from the leadoff spot with a 1.069 OPS last season. The senior had 13 home runs, 11 doubles, 56 runs scored and 38 RBIs while also ranking eighth in the country in Defensive Runs Saved at 7.72.
8. Duke
Duke’s roster returns largely intact from a team that finished 48-12 and 19-5 in the ACC (second place) last season. The Blue Devils only lost one player.
The newcomer expected to have the most immediate impact is right-handed pitcher Dani Drogemuller. The graduate transfer from Pitt arrives with a career ERA of 3.97, 306 strikeouts and 147 walks in 310.0 innings pitched for the Panthers. Drogemuller’s best season was in 2022, when she finished 8-13 with a 3.51 ERA in 28 appearances.
The rest of the pitching staff returns, led by aces Cassidy Curd and Jala Wright. Curd was one of the top freshmen in the country last season, and came through in critical starts for the Blue Devils. The sophomore left-hander finished 18-3 with a 1.65 ERA, 159 strikeouts and 52 walks in 127.1 innings pitched. Curd had a 0.91 WHIP and her batting average against was just .146. She threw a no-hitter against Clemson in the ACC championship semifinals.
Every major offensive piece outside of designated player Deja Davis returns in the order. The Blue Devils have placed more emphasis on strength and conditioning to improve their power numbers. They hit 65 home runs last season with a .511 slugging percentage.
Speedy sophomore outfielder D’Auna Jennings batted a team-leading .462 with 80 hits, 48 runs and 21 of 24 in stolen bases. Her batting average and hits were single-season program records and ranked sixth nationally.
Ana Gold, Gisele Tapia and Aminah Vega were the top run producers for Duke last season, with all driving in at least 50 runs. Tapia, a graduate senior, batted .362 with 12 doubles and 50 RBIs.
9. UCLA
The Bruins saw a swift exit in the Los Angeles Regional after losing to Grand Canyon and Liberty despite being the No. 2 national seed.
The biggest change when looking at this roster is the pitching staff. There is no Megan Faraimo. The former Bruin ace left her legacy but as UCLA typically does, there’s typically the next great UCLA pitcher waiting in the wings. It sure sounds like Kaitlyn Terry has that potential. The freshman from Glendale, Arizona has quickly made an impression this fall. Terry is a true two-way player.
UCLA also added Big West Pitcher of the Year Jada Cecil from UC San Diego. Addison Mettler appears to be on the same path that Megan Grant and Jordan Woolery were last season and starting from the beginning. Mettler has incredible power from the left side and projects to spend a lot of time at first base. She can also play behind the plate.
Maya Brady is the star power in the lineup. As impressive as her .448 average and 1.381 OPS were, Brady’s defense at shortstop may have been the most impressive part of her 2023 campaign. After moving in from the outfield, Brady showed more confidence in her ability to read hops and show of her athletic ability, which helped the Bruins.
🌟 𝐏𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐨𝐧 𝐀𝐥𝐥-𝐀𝐦𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐧𝐬 🌟
Shortstop Maya Brady and utility Megan Grant were awarded Preseason All-American status by Softball America.@BradyMaya: First Team@ChefMeganCookin: Second team#GoBruins pic.twitter.com/mPt6GyVCq0
— UCLA Softball (@UCLASoftball) January 30, 2024
The top of the lineup will also include Grant and Woolery once again. The two combined for 25 home runs and 100-plus RBIs last season. Grant found a lot of success as the team’s leadoff batter later in the season, a spot that has been a revolving door for UCLA the past few seasons. Meanwhile, Woolery’s power, and sounds like Mettler’s as well, will serve as protection for Brady. Woolery is slated to play third base more as she did toward the end of the season. Mettler and Grant could oscillate at first and DP role, Grant can play the outfield as well.
Sharlize Palacios is back after a freak injury against Arizona State ended her season late in April. She will also provide power in the heart of the order.
10. Arkansas
Arkansas reloaded with more transfers that should keep the offense humming.
A lineup that included Hannah Gammill, Cylie Halvorson and Rylin Hedgecock has added Bri Ellis from Auburn and Nia Carter from Iowa. Carter led the Big Ten Conference in hits last season.
The “Bogle Bombers” nickname shows no signs of abating, though the biggest question is how Arkansas will replace Chenise Delce in the circle. The likely answer? By committee. Sophomore lefties Robyn Herron and Hannah Camenzind are expected to take on more innings, and the Hogs added two transfers (Reis Beuerlein and Morgan Leinstock) to round out the six-member staff that is equally split between righties and lefties.
