Former Arizona utility player Giulia Koutsoyanopulos transfers to Tennessee

The five players who entered the transfer portal after Arizona softball returned from the Women’s College World Series are slowly announcing their new teams. On Saturday afternoon, former Wildcat shortstop Amber Toven posted that she is headed to Baylor. Not long after, former Arizona utility player Giulia Koutsoyanopulos let her Instagram followers know that she is headed to Tennessee.

“God knows I just want to play ball!!” Koutsoyanopulos wrote.

Koutsoyanopulos was a sophomore for Arizona during the 2022 season. Like her freshman season, a great deal of her playing time came as a defensive replacement or pinch runner for first-base starter Carlie Scupin. However, Koutsoyanopulos had an expanded role this season when starting centerfielder Janelle Meoño was forced to sit out for several weeks due to a lower-leg injury.

Koutsoyanopulos played outfield for Team Italy over the summer of 2021 during the delayed 2020 Olympic Games. She also saw playing time in the outfield during Arizona’s 2021 fall ball season. So, when last year’s batting champion and Pac-12 Freshman of the Year couldn’t play, Koutsoyanopulos took over in centerfield for Meoño.

Koutsoyanopulos made 53 appearances for Arizona in 2022 including 27 starts. She hit .290 in 62 at-bats. She had 18 hits—including a double, a triple, and a home run—and accounted for seven RBI and 23 runs. She walked once and had an on-base percentage of .318. Her slugging percentage was .387.

In her two seasons at Arizona, Koutsoyanopulos appeared in 102 games and started 28. She had a .280 batting average in 75 at-bats. All of her extra-base hits came in her sophomore season, so she ended her Wildcat career with one double, one triple, and one home run. She walked twice and struck out 15 times. On defense, she committed just one error in her career for a two-year fielding percentage of .993.