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The July 1 eligibility deadline is upon us and the strong wave of college transfers—which has surged to nearly 100 as of the last week or so—is certain to slow down
Extra Inning Softball contributor Justin McLeod of Justin’s World of Softball shares his thoughts on who are some key ones that will make the biggest impact in our latest edition of his weekly “Inside Pitch” column…
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The volume of players who have entered the transfer portal this year has been well-documented.
There will be nearly 1,000 players in the first six months of the year by the time midnight on Wednesday rolls around.
While the frequent portal-entering has been much-discussed, a fact that is sometimes missed in similar discussions is the true value that the portal can have for some players.
Whether the opportunity to transfer means more playing time, a better commute, or a simple change of scenery, it does serve a positive purpose for a number of players and teams.
Let’s take a look at a few players who have chosen their transfer destinations, and who could and should thrive in their new homes…
1. Former Louisiana slugger Bailey Curry moved closer to home via transfer, committing to Western Kentucky earlier this summer.
She carries a big bat, one that saw her star as a freshman at Toledo and later down on the Bayou. Curry is a pure slugger, with a ton of pop in her bat, and ought to be able to reach double-digit home runs easily at WKU.
2. Hope Trautwein was what you might call a “hot commodity” once she hit the transfer market, earning big-time offers almost as soon as her name appeared in the portal.
She has since committed to Oklahoma and will help fill the void left by the graduation of G Juarez and Shannon Saile.
Trautwein can hold her own with big-time offenses, and could be the Sooners’ next powerful weapon under the watchful eye of pitching coach Jen Rocha.
*** Scroll down to see more college transfers we think will shine in their new environments!