Long before the Transfer Portal arrived on the scene, players moving schools was still a regular occurrence. While it didn’t occur with the ease or the frequency that it does in today’s game, transfers have been a part of college sports for a long time.

There’s often an added bonus when a player arrives at a new school with collegiate playing experience already under her belt; whether the “newbie” jitters are settled or the proper mindset is already in place, a transfer can make an indelible mark on her new program even with fewer than four years to play.

For this edition of the Top 10, we’re counting down players who left such incredible legacies at their final schools that you might not even remember that they started their careers elsewhere. Here are our Top 10 Familiar Faces in Unfamiliar Places.

Honorable Mention:

Kindra & Maddi Hackbarth, Fresno State – Before the Hackbarth sisters followed former head coach Trisha Ford to Arizona State, the duo put up so-so stats as freshmen at Fresno State. After arriving in Tempe, the pair took the PAC-12 by storm; Kindra was named an All-American in 2019.

Carley Hoover, Stanford – Remembered by most softball fans as a lights-out hurler at LSU, Hoover began her career under John Rittman at Stanford. She won two games and averaged 1.5 strikeouts per inning before her true freshman season was cut short due to injury.

Molly Fichtner, UTSA – The photo of Fichtner jumping into Jackie Traina’s arms after a series-clinching win at Alabama is iconic, but Fichtner did not begin her career in Tuscaloosa. A Houston native, she began her playing career at in-state UTSA before transferring to Alabama, where she would spend two years as the starting catcher.

10. Danielle O’Toole, San Diego State

O’Toole was a first-team All-American and PAC-12 Pitcher of the Year as a senior, with her two years as an Arizona Wildcat ultimately leading her to some time in a Team USA uniform and a spot on the Mexican Olympic roster. Prior to her pair of seasons in Tucson, though, O’Toole began her career as a San Diego State Aztec. The 2013 Mountain West Freshman of the Year and the Pitcher of the Year in the conference in 2014, O’Toole dominated opposing hitters and owned a 45-17 win-loss record during her time as an Aztec. Her stats at SDSU also included a 1.87 ERA and 317 strikeouts.

9. Courtney Blades, Nicholls State

Before she led Southern Miss to back-to-back Women’s College World Series berths in 1999 and 2000, Blades spent the first two years of her career at Nicholls State. She earned the Southland Conference’s Newcomer of the Year award as a freshman, and was named the conference’s Player and Pitcher of the Year in 1998. She also notched the pitching Triple Crown in her sophomore season, leading the league in strikeouts, ERA, wins, shutouts, and innings pitched.

8. Andi Williamson, Tennessee

During her career at Marshall, Williamson established herself as one of the nation’s top workhorse pitchers and set a number of Thundering Herd records, but prior to her arrival in Huntington, Williamson began her career on Rocky Top. Williamson pitched sparingly for the Lady Vols as a freshman, recording five strikeouts in five innings in her inaugural year. She was part of the Tennessee squad that finished third at the Women’s College World Series in 2010.

7. Shelby Pendley, Arizona

A three-time All-American, national champion, top ten all-time in career home runs, and two-time Big 12 Player of the Year; Pendley’s list of accomplishments at Oklahoma is a monstrous one. Even before she got to OU prior to the 2013 season, Pendley started her collegiate career on a still-impressive note at Arizona. She hit 19 home runs for the Wildcats, leading the team in that category, and finished second on the squad in an additional four statistical categories.

6. Lexie Elkins, Texas Tech

One of the top sluggers to come out of the mid-major level of softball in recent memory, Elkins played one year at Texas Tech under Shanon Hays to begin her career. After graduating high school a semester early to join the Red Raiders, she spent the year as the team’s starting catcher. She batted .282 on the season and did not hit a single home run; of course, following her transfer to Louisiana-Lafayette, she hit 75 home runs in three years and was a 3-time All-American.

5. Miranda Kramer, IPFW

In 2015, Western Kentucky saw their program’s first-ever First-Team All-American in pitcher Miranda Kramer. Kramer arrived in Bowling Green as part of a 4-member senior class who chose to play their final season of eligibility for their former head coach Amy Tudor. During her three seasons at IPFW prior to transferring, Kramer posted a 1.90 career ERA with 59 wins, 764 strikeouts, and an opponent’s batting average of .187 in 527 innings of work. She was the 2014 Summit League Pitcher of the Year and earned a trio of all-conference honors with the Mastodons.

4. Jenny Topping, Washington

Topping was part of the gold-medal-winning 2004 US Olympic squad, and served as an alternate for the team during the ’08 Games. Following a transfer to Cal State Fullerton after her redshirt freshman season, Topping cemented her legacy as an all-time great; she earned a trio of All-American honors with the Titans, set the Big West batting average record, and was a 3-time conference Player of the Year. During the early portion of her career, Topping started with a redshirt at Washington while rehabbing an ACL injury. She was a first-team All-American in 2000 and the PAC-12’s Newcomer of the Year, helping lead the Huskies to the Women’s College World Series.

3. Missy Taukeiaho, Washington

One of three players in the top five of our rankings with a connection to the Washington program, Taukeiaho was a starting outfielder for much of the season as a true freshman, and was part of the Huskies’ squad that reached the WCWS in 2013. Taukeiaho hit six home runs with a .296 batting average in her first year; she finished fifth on the team in longballs that year. Following a transfer to Cal State Fullerton prior to her sophomore campaign, Taukeiaho earned a trio of All-American awards and was twice the Big West Player of the Year.

2. Alex Hugo, Kansas

Before she was making acrobatic plays on the infield dirt in Athens, Georgia, Hugo played her freshman season at Kansas. She started every game for the Jayhawks during her single season there, batted .428 on the year, and recorded 27 extra base hits. Her fifteen home runs as a freshman led the program. After arriving at Georgia, Hugo made an incredible impact on the Bulldogs’ program with both her bat and her glove, and was named an All-American in 2015.

1. Jenn Salling, Oregon

Salling played in the 2008 Olympic Games with Team Canada, and following that feat, starred for three years at the University of Washington. A two-time All-American during her career with the Huskies, oft forgotten is Salling’s stellar freshman campaign at another PAC-12 school, the University of Oregon. As a true freshman in 2007, Salling batted .481 for the Ducks with fourteen home runs to her credit. She was the only freshman to be a top 10 finalist for the National Player of the Year award and was a first-team All-American.