Arizona softball: Taryn Young enters transfer portal, Wildcats expected to pursue pitchers

Over 250 players are said to be in the NCAA softball transfer portal, and one of them belongs to the Arizona Wildcats. Outfielder Taryn Young entered the database on June 4, according to Softball America.

The sophomore has appeared in nine games over the past two seasons, mostly as a pinch-runner. The Anaheim native only has one career at-bat, and was one of two Arizona players who did not dress during the postseason. Her older sister, Lauren, played at Arizona from 2012-15.

Entering the transfer portal does not necessarily guarantee a player is leaving; it simply alerts other programs that the player can be contacted and recruited.

Also in the transfer portal are UC Davis left-hander Brooke Yanez and Oklahoma right-hander Mariah Lopez, who are expected to draw interest from the Wildcats, who have to replace ace Taylor McQuillin and No. 3 pitcher Gina Snyder next season.

Yanez and Lopez both hail from Southern California, Arizona’s No. 1 recruiting pipeline.

Before joining the Sooners, Lopez played for the OC Batbusters, a travel team the Wildcats recruit heavily. The junior chose Oklahoma over Arizona, Florida, Washington, and Fresno State out of high school.

Lopez went 19-1 with a 1.25 ERA in 2019, serving as Oklahoma’s No. 2 pitcher behind fellow junior G Juarez. The Sooners lost to UCLA in the Women’s College World Series championship series. Oregon is viewed as another possible landing spot for Lopez because the Ducks are coached by former Oklahoma assistant Melyssa Lombardi.

Yanez was the Big West Pitcher of the Year and a second-team All-American in 2019. The sophomore went 25-7 with a 1.03 ERA, logging 273 strikeouts in 203.2 innings.

Transfers typically do not have to sit out a season in college softball.

Arizona is set to return No. 2 starter Alyssa Denham and seldomly-used underclassmen Hanah Bowen, Marissa Schuld and Vanessa Foreman in the circle next season. It’s a talented, but mostly unproven, quartet.

The Wildcats did not sign any pitchers in the 2019 recruiting cycle.