During the offseason, Missouri Softball showed their willingness to be active in the transfer portal, acquiring three new players. Kentucky senior infielder and outfielder Taylor Ebbs, Oklahoma State outfielder Haidyn Sokoloski and DMACC junior pitcher Courtney Donahue made up the trio of additions. After five seniors graduated at the end of the 2024 season, including star outfielder Alex Honnold, the Tigers looked to bring in experience and starpower to fill the holes in the field left behind.

Taylor Ebbs

In June of 2024, Tigers Head Coach Larissa Anderson announced the acquisition of senior Taylor Ebbs from Kentucky. After spending three seasons with the Wildcats, Ebbs was the No. 40 ranked player nationally going into her freshman season. She carried that into her career with Kentucky, tallying 90 hits and 25 home runs in 331 total at bats. 

Ebbs finished last year with 90 at bats, racking up 28 hits, 17 runs scored and eight home runs in 39 games played, her lowest total games played in a season. Ebbs notched her career-high batting average last season, finishing at .311. She started 27 games and recorded eight multi-hit games. She had 29 putouts and zero assists in 25 total chances, amassing a career-low of zero errors.

The former Wildcat began her play at Kentucky with more errors on defense and a lower fielding percentage compared to her final season. Missouri finished the 2024 season in the bottom half of the SEC in overall fielding stats, an area that Ebbs could help solidify in the upcoming season. With seven incoming freshmen for the Tigers, all who play in the infield or outfield, Ebbs’ experience and mature defensive play will be crucial to taking Missouri out of the bottom-six.

Haidyn Sokoloski

13 days after Ebbs committed to the Tigers, Missouri signed Haidyn Sokoloski from Oklahoma State. This was the second of the Tigers’ transfer portal signings, picking up Sokoloski who was fresh off of a College World Series appearance for the Cowgirls in 2024. She was ranked No. 17 overall in the 2022 Extra Elite 100 high school rankings.

With the Cowgirls, Sokoloski played in 66 games and had 33 at bats, totaling 24 runs, nine hits and a .324 career batting average. She recorded a career-high .593 slugging percentage in 2024, the seventh highest on the Cowgirls. Sokoloski showed off her offensive capabilities last season, recording a triple and a home run against South Dakota State early in the season. She also recorded ten putouts and a .909 fielding percentage and only one error last season. 

Sokoloski improved drastically over her two seasons with the Cowgirls before making the move to Missouri. She recorded her first home run in her sophomore season, had nine more putouts than her freshman campaign and saw an improvement in her on-base percentage, increasing from .143 to .367.
In a Tigers team that was in the top half of the SEC in RBI’s last season with 285, Sokoloski will fit into their slug-heavy offense. When seniors Jenna Laird and Honnold graduate, the Tigers will need players to step up and produce runs.

Courtney Donahue

From Des Moines Area Community College Courtney Donahue joined the Tigers as a member of the 2024 signing day class. In her time at DMACC, Donahue posted a 16-3 record and completed six games. She tallied 134 strikeouts and a 2.91 ERA over the course of last season and was selected to the second team all-region. She received NJCAA All-Academic honors as a result of her positive impact on and off the diamond. She was also named the 2024 TUCCI/NFCA NJCAA DII pitcher of the year.

Coming into a pitching staff that is losing graduating senior Laurin Krings, Donahue provides experience that Krings gave the Tigers in 2024. She joins three other juniors in Missouri’s pitching lineup, including star right-handed pitcher Cierra Harrison, who put up the second-lowest ERA last season with 2.05. Donahue led the Bears to a third-place finish in the NJCAA DII World Series. Donahue has experience pitching in the postseason, not allowing a home run in their last game against Copiah-Lincoln on May 26.

Donahue follows in the footsteps of Tigers’ Assistant Coach Molly Jacobsen McCargar, who also pitched at DMACC before transferring to Ole Miss and finishing her collegiate career at Texas. McCargar plays a crucial role in scouting for the Tigers, potentially leading to the discovery and signing of Donahue. Working with pitchers, McCargar could help Donahue excel in the bullpen and assume a role that Krings filled as a reliable option for a starter in the circle. Donahue is Missouri’s only JUCO transfer, making her a dark horse for many fans and programs alike coming into the season. She’s Missouri’s “hidden weapon” that could bring the Tigers back to the SEC championship and beyond.

Final takeaways

Each transfer that came into Missouri this offseason has something to prove and will fill different holes in the program. Working with the freshman class that brought in infielder and outfielder Madison Uptegrove, who broke the state’s home run record in her last year of high school with 49 home runs. Each transfer is a junior or senior, providing key playing experience. 

Ebbs’ experience in SEC play and fielding will help Missouri lower their error statistic from the fifth highest in the conference last season. Sokoloski’s slug-heavy play could give the Tigers’ offense a much needed spark, who were ranked ninth in triples hit and No. 12 in home runs hit in 2024. Donahue will add to a pitching staff that was ranked fourth in runs allowed, third in ERA and fourth in walks allowed in the conference in 2024.

Missouri’s schedule for the upcoming season has not been determined. The Tigers are gearing up for fall ball in October, seeing the new transfers prepare for the upcoming season with two new conference opponents. 

Edited by Michael Stamps | mstamps@themaneater.com

Copy edited by Ava Mohror and Hannah Taylor | htaylor@themaneater.com

Edited by Emily Skidmore | eskidmore@themaneater.com