Cal Softball: Mass Transfer Departures

The resignation of Cal softball head coach Chelsea Spencer on June 23, just four months after she signed a contract extension, only hinted at the dramatic changes occurring in the Bears softball program.

Cal advanced to the NCAA tournament for the third straight year in 2025, but the Bears must overall their roster for the upcoming season as nearly all of Cal’s key players will be gone.

Seven of Cal’s nine starting position players and three of the Golden Bears’ five main pitchers have entered the transfer portal, and all but one of them have committed to new schools, according to On3.  The Bears’ two other position-player starters -- Mika Lee and Acacia Anders – were both seniors. (Sophomore Alyssa Hernandez made 22 starts as the Bears’ designated hitter, but missed 34 games due to injury.)

So far the Bears have picked up four transfers from other schools, including two freshmen from strong programs.

Here’s a rundown of the Cal players who are transferring out, according to On3:

--- Catcher Lagi Quiroga (committed to Texas Tech) – 2025 first-team all-ACC. She made 58 starts in 2025 and hit .346, with 12 homers, 44 RBIs and a 1.074 OPS.

--- First base Tianna Bell (committed to Arkansas) – 2025 second-team all-ACC. Bell made 58 starts in 2025 and hit .347 while leading the team in both home runs (15) and RBIs (54).

--- Outfielder Elon Butler (committed to Oregon) – 2024 second-team all-Pac-12. She started 58 games for Cal in 2025, hitting .361 with 10 homers, 37 RBIs and a team-leading 1.088 OPS while stealing 16 bases in 20 tries.

--- Pitcher Miranda De Nava (committed to California Baptist) – As a freshman in 2025, she led the team in wins (13-6 record), ERA (3.25) and opposing batting average (.241). She started two of Cal’s four postseason games and pitched a shutout in one of them.

--- Outfielder Kaylee Pond (committed to Arizona State) – She made 58 starts in 2025 and had a .310 batting average, with five homers, 28 RBIs and a .469 on-base percentage.

--- Third base Nailyn Marshall (committed to Southern Mississippi) – As a redshirt freshman in 2025, Marshall started 49 games for Cal and hit .244 with four homers and 17 RBIs.

--- Second base Mia Phillips (uncommitted) – 2025 ACC all-freshman team. Phillips started 58 games this past season and hit .315, with four homers and 33 RBIs.

--- Pitcher Anna Reimers (committed to Utah) – She was 7-5 with a 5.37 ERA in 2025, and she made 39 starts and had a 23-10 record for her Cal career.

--- Designated hitter Holly Medina (committed to Georgia Tech). Medina made 22 starts in 2025 and hit .253, with no homers and five RBIs.

--- Utility player D’Auna Johnson (uncommitted) – She made five starts in 2025 and hit .158 with two home runs in 2025.

--- Pitcher Ashanti McDade (committed to Louisiana Monroe). McDade made two starts in 2025 and finished with a 3-2 record and an 8.11 ERA.

Here are the transfers who have committed to Cal for the upcoming season, according to On3:

--- Pitcher Layna Gerhard (Ohio State transfer) – As a freshman in 2025, Gerhard finished with a 7-0 record and a 4.20 ERA for an Ohio State that finished 45-14-1, including 16-6 in the Big Ten. Gerhard did not pitch in the Buckeyes’ four NCAA tournament games.

--- Catcher Anya German (Texas Tech transfer) – She played in 30 games, including 16 starts, for a Texas Tech team that was the national runnerup in the Women’s College World Series. German hit .288 with no homers and 14 RBIs. She got two at-bats as a pinch-hitter in the Women’s College World Series and went 0-for-2.

--- Shortstop Gator Robinson (Boston College transfer) – Robinson made 51 starts as a sophomore in 2025 and hit .201 with two homers, 17 RBIs and 13 steals for a Boston College team that went 22-29 overall and 5-9 in the ACC.

--- Second base Emma Jackson (Boston College transfer) – Jackson made 51 starts as a sophomore in 2025 and hit .275, with two homers, 23 RBIs and six steals.

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