The Kansas softball team reached new heights, at least for Jennifer McFalls’ eight-year tenure as head coach, by earning a postseason bid in 2026.
Now the work of replicating that performance continues, and the Jayhawks will have to go forward without an influential class of seniors that included a host of longtime starters, such as second baseman Campbell Bagshaw, shortstop Hailey Cripe (Big 12 co-defensive player of the year), center fielder Presley Limbaugh (second-team all-conference) and right fielder Aynslee Linduff.
As much work as the seniors did to set the tone for KU’s strong run through conference play, though, the Jayhawks also benefited from an influx of young talent. Catcher Ella Boyer, the Big 12 freshman of the year, put together one of the best offensive seasons by any Jayhawk in recent history as she batted .342 with 19 home runs and 60 RBIs, even as she became a focal point for opposing pitchers.
She is set to return for 2027, as are fellow all-freshman selections Blakely Barber and Lila Partridge. Barber, from Georgetown, Texas, finished the year with a 3.58 ERA in 19 appearances with 11 starts. Partridge, from Petaluma, California, emerged as something like an ace for the Jayhawks, with a memorable eight-inning complete game shutout in the Norman Regional opener against Michigan. She had a 3.91 ERA in 28 appearances.
That’s to say nothing of the rest of the returning talent, headlined by first baseman Anna Soles, a rising senior who hit .360 with a 1.146 OPS and was first-team all-league. Other returning part-time or full-time starters include Bailey Amezcua (catcher), September Flanagan (primarily third base), Kadence Stafford (left field/third base) and Ava Wallace (primarily left field). JUCO transfer Tehya Pitts made 25 starts in the outfield before missing the rest of the season after March 15. The middle infield in particular, however, will look much different in 2027.
In the circle, KU has less production to replace, as it also brings back Chloe Barber, a former Wichita State transfer who was far and away the team leader in strikeouts (79) but also issued a team-high 54 walks and turned in a solid season overall, as well as Topeka native and regular starter Kaelee Washington and Eudora native Sam Claire, who made three of her five appearances in the final month of the season.
So what’s new this offseason? Well, the Jayhawks didn’t experience much unexpected roster turnover. After two years at KU, pitcher Kennedy Diggs, who made just eight appearances as a sophomore, transferred to conference foe Iowa State. Karsen Griggs, an infielder whose role diminished dramatically in her own sophomore year, returned to her home state to play for Tulsa.
In exchange, KU, which has not made heavy use of the portal in recent years, has two known transfer commitments, both recent. They are each rising sophomores who put together strong freshman seasons at the mid-major level while playing in the middle infield.
Sienna Mayer, from El Segundo, California, did not play much early on at North Texas but worked her way into a significant role in the month of April. She played second base and finished the year with a dozen starts in 25 games and an efficient 14-for-40 (.350) showing at the plate, albeit with just one extra-base hit. Mayer and Partridge, a fellow Californian, were club teammates playing for the BSC Bengals.
Jazmin Ramirez spent her freshman year at Utah State, which faced KU at Arrocha Ballpark in 2026, so she saw the Jayhawks up close (and in fact her only pitching appearance of the season was in a loss to KU). The Chandler, Arizona, native was one of the Aggies’ top hitters. She started 53 of the 54 games in which she appeared, playing second base and shortstop. Ramirez finished the season batting .318 with an .885 OPS and hit five home runs with 21 RBIs.
Adding Mayer and Ramirez will help KU account for the losses of longtime fixtures Bagshaw and Cripe, although the newcomers could also face competition from young returning players who haven’t had many chances to play yet.
North Texas infielder Sienna Mayer (22) throws during an NCAA softball game on Saturday, Feb. 7, 2026, in Lafayette, La.
Utah State infielder Jazmin Ramirez throws the ball to first base during an NCAA softball game against Utah Valley, on Tuesday, April 21, 2026, in Orem, Utah.
The Jayhawks also have a handful of freshmen signees in the 2026 class. Back in November, McFalls announced five in outfielder Jocelyn Alatorre, utility player Kynleigh Ball, pitcher Daniella Gloria, infielder Mackenna Jackson and catcher/infielder Shelbi Stevens.
“This is a strong and well rounded recruiting class that will make an immediate impact on our program,” McFalls said in the press release. “We’re graduating a very special senior class that has set the standard for Kansas softball, and this incoming group has the talent, athleticism and competitiveness to continue that momentum. I’m confident they’ll help us keep building a team capable of competing at the highest level.”
Alatorre, who is also from the same club team as Mayer and Partridge, is a left-handed hitter who batted .395 as a senior at El Modena High School in Orange, California.
Ball comes from the same town but not the same school as Blakely Barber. She was a first-team all-district infielder while playing for Georgetown High School.
Gloria, the lone addition in the circle, went 20-9 with a 2.37 ERA as a senior at Mountain View High School in Mesa, Arizona, while also hitting .360 with seven home runs and 29 RBIs.
Jackson, of Keller High School in Texas, was her district’s co-MVP as she batted .509 with 50 RBIs, setting numerous school records along the way.
Stevens is a longtime KU pledge who has been committed since September of her junior year. She put up eye-popping numbers in her senior season at Navarro High School in Seguin, Texas, including a .782 average with 19 home runs and a state-leading 88 RBIs. The San Antonio Express-News named her to its All-Area Super Team.
The KU coaching staff will also experience some minor changes next season. Assistant coach Kaitlyn Chiles left to become the head coach at Tomball West High School in Cypress, Texas. Her replacement is Jason Gwyn, who previously worked at Missouri and North Texas. Gwyn and KU pitching coach Laura Heberling are also currently coaching together for the Portland Cascade in Athletes Unlimited. In addition, the Jayhawks have a new director of operations, Bailey Enoch.
AP Photo/Matthew Hinton
AP Photo/Tyler Tate