North Carolina softball transfer class reloads lineup
As Megan Smith Lyon enters her second season leading her alma mater, she has shaped the roster to be her own. Smith Lyon formed a seven-player North Carolina softball transfer class entirely made up of hitters. The Tar Heels have nice pieces returning to the lineup but the transfer class helps plug holes following a large departure of graduates.
Lexie Roberts
Roberts heads to Raleigh after a career year that earned her the Big South Player of the Year at Radford. The North Carolina native had a .413 batting average and 29 stolen bases. She’ll fit right into the Tar Heel lineup that has plenty of speed after leading the ACC in average and swipes last season. Roberts and Alex Coleman could make for one of the most formidable top of the lineups with their ability to reach base. The Radford transfer will plug the vacant in the outfield to join Coleman and Sanaa Thompson, coming off a stellar freshman year.
Roberts saw an improvement in her batting average following a solid freshman season. Simultaneously she cut down on her strikeouts, which is always a good sign for player development. Roberts went 9-for-18 in six combined games against Georgia, Virginia Tech, Virginia and Purdue last season, collecting a hit in each game. She makes her living against the rise ball. According to Synergy Sports, she had a .588 batting average against rise balls last season.
Lindsay Lumsden
The Tar Heels hope that Lumsden can be part of the RBI production that drives in the speed of Roberts and Coleman. Lumsden, the reigning CAA Rookie of the Year, batted .320 with 13 doubles, two triples, four home runs and 23 RBIs last season at Campbell.
Lumsden doesn’t have eye-popping power numbers but North Carolina has to replace eight doubles and 25 home runs following the departures of Isabela Emerling and Autumn Owen. Although, she might not have double-digit blasts, extra-base hits can still be game-changing paired with the speed in the lineup. Lumsden also has three years to grow in the ACC with Megan Smith Lyon’s staff.
Rayna Blackwell
Blackwell was one of the few Charlotte transfers who didn’t follow Ashley Chastain to South Carolina. However, that was likely do to AAC Defensive Player of the Year Lexi Winters joining the Gamecocks behind the plate.
Blackwell saw limited opportunities as a freshman starting 13 games and seeing action in 30 games. She was called upon to step into the starting catcher position after Winters went down with an injury ahead of the postseason. Blackwell made the American Athletic Conference All-Tournament Team helping the Niners win the tournament.
Emerling and Owen were the team’s primary options behind the plate last season. That presents Blackwell with a chance at the starting role from the start. She’ll need to hit better but it’s worth noting she played last season as an early high school graduate and would’ve been a freshman this season.
Grace Jackson
Jackson could be the North Carolina starting shortstop to open the season after starting nearly 150 games while at Princeton. She tallied a .269 batting average, 14 doubles, three triples, 27 stolen bases and 47 walks in three seasons with the Tigers. Jackson was a two-time All-Ivy league selection.
Kat Rodriguez
North Carolina added a trio with ACC experience that will also spend their final collegiate seasons with the Tar Heels. Rodriguez makes the transition from Pitt after starting her career at Quinnipiac. She’s another candidate to start in the middle infield. Rodriguez played second base with the Panthers and last season’s starter Skylar Brooks graduated.
Rodriguez can be a pesky bat in the lineup. She had a six-hit game back in 2023. She’s also added power in the past two seasons. Rodriguez hit for 29 extra-base hits including 14 doubles in 2023. She can also help in that department that the Tar Heels need.
Shelby Barbee
Barbee comes off an All-ACC Third Team selection at Virginia. After only 39 at-bats in her first two seasons, Barbee hit six home runs as the team’s starter at first base. According to the data from Synergy Sports, most of Barbee’s extra-base hits were pulled to left field. She hit a variety of pitches but tended to reach full extension to reach balls on the outer half.
Rachael Fuerst
Fuerst is another potential option to start behind the plate. She started 37 games at catcher for Pitt during her three years as a Panther. The two-time All-ACC Academic Team honoree has had three doubles, a triple, five home runs, 18 RBIs.
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