Taking stock of Oregon softball's roster heading into the offseason

After a tremendous 2025 campaign that saw head coach Melyssa Lombardi elevate her Oregon Ducks from postseason regular to Women's College World Series contender, the process of leading them back to Oklahoma City in 2026 begins now. Although Oregon's season may have ended at the hands of Lombardi's mentor Patty Gasso and her Oklahoma Sooners for the second year in a row, the Ducks made tremendous strides for her tenure, including a 50-win campaign, conference championship, postseason hosting duties, and WCWS appearance — which she called "the standard" for her program on Sunday night.

In order to maintain that standard — one set by the hard work of veterans like the Luschar sisters in the outfield and Paige Sinicki at shortstop — Oregon will need to reload its roster this offseason, solidifying holes left by seniors to build around its strong core of returning players. Although Texas and Texas Tech are yet to decide a national champion this week, in today's world of college athletics, the offseason has already been in full swing for many programs with the opening of the transfer portal from May 18 until June 16.

The Ducks are yet to make any moves through the portal, either in or out, but that will change in the coming weeks. As we look ahead to this offseason to see what next year's roster could look like for Lombardi, let's break down who's gone, who's back, and what moves will need to be made in order to return to Oklahoma City.

Who's Gone?

The biggest blow to the Ducks' roster is the loss of its three home-grown stars, the Luschar sisters and Paige Sinicki. Kai Luschar started in left field for Oregon over the last two seasons, setting a number of program stolen base records, while her sister Kedre blossomed into a second-team All-American as a senior, hitting .426 while manning centerfield for the majority of the season. Sinicki was a program staple over her four years in Eugene, starting over 200 career games at shortstop for the Ducks to become one of the best two-way players at the position as a senior. All three spots will need to be filled in the lineup, along with that of right fielder/ designated hitter Dezianna Patmon, a transfer from New Mexico State who was an underrated part of the Ducks' offense all year before turning into a postseason hero with a pair of walk-offs at The Jane. Fellow transfer, left-handed pitcher Staci Chambers, also gave the fans at The Jane a postseason moment to remember when she shut down Stanford for 4 ⅓ innings of relief in a do-or-die game after missing a large chunk of the season with an injury — although she is the only one of Oregon's five hurlers to have exhausted their eligibility.

Who's Back?

Compared to where they were a year ago, when Sinicki and Kai Luschar were the only starters set to return, the Ducks sit pretty comfortably thanks to a strong core of underclassmen who have already contributed early in their careers. Third baseman Katie Flannery will enter her junior season with over 90 starts between the hot corner and second base, having arguably been Oregon's best defensive player in 2025. Joining Flannery in the lineup next year will be the Ducks' talented quartet of freshman — first baseman Rylee McCoy, catcher Emma Cox, second baseman Kaylynn Jones, and designated hitter Stefini Ma'ake — who gave them contributions beyond their years in their first season of collegiate softball. Catcher Braiesey Rosa will enter her junior season after starting a key stretch of the season behind the plate in Cox's absence, while outfielder Ayanna Shaw will be a redshirt sophomore, having started games in center and right this past season. Rounding out the offense is a trio of pinch-runners, rising junior Regan Legg and sophomores Elyse Kresho and Presley Lawton, who combined for just 13 at-bats this season, but could see increased roles at the plate and in the field moving forward.

In the circle, Lombardi will be thrilled to get another year from Lyndsey Grein and Elise Sokolsky, both former transfers who shouldered a majority of the load for Oregon's pitching staff. Combined, Grein and Sokolsky handled over 80 percent of the Ducks' innings, doing so excellently with a 2.21 ERA and 1.075 WHIP while striking out well over three batters for every walk. Righty Taylour Spencer struggled down the stretch of her sophomore campaign with an ERA over seven and a WHIP over two since the start of March, but will look to bounce back to the 2.94 ERA she posted to earn Pac-12 All-Freshman honors as she heads into her third season in Eugene. Rowan Thompson will enter her second season largely an unknown, having made just three career appearances, but the former No. 6 prospect in the state of Oregon could see her role expand as she gets more time to learn under Lombardi's tutelage. 

New Additions

As mentioned above, the Ducks are yet to make any moves in the transfer portal, so as of now, their only additions to the 2026 roster will be their three incoming freshmen. Lombardi's 2025 signing class isn't rated as highly as the 16th-ranked 2024 class, but as evidenced this season, youth hasn't stopped Lombardi from putting her most talented players on the field. Honolulu's Taryn Ho hit .550 with 10 homers and 25 RBIs as a junior, and could factor up the middle at either second base or shortstop, with Lombardi comparing her game to Sinicki's. Right-handed pitcher Maddie Milhorn was Washington's Gatorade Player of the Year and a first-team high school All-American according to Extra Inning Softball as a sophomore in 2023, a campaign she followed with a 0.43 ERA and 193 strikeouts in 96 ⅔ innings as a junior. Amanda Urbina was ranked as a top 50 player in the state of California by MaxPreps and has played shortstop for her high school team, but might project better at one of the corners at the collegiate level.

What needs to be done?

When looking at next year's lineup, six spots have likely already been solidified, including McCoy at first, Flannery at third, and Cox at catcher. Shaw started last season in center before she was replaced by Kedre Luschar following an injury, but will likely make a return to the position next season. Ma'ake will be in the lineup without a doubt, most likely as a DH, where she started 34 games last year, but could see time in right field or at first, where she filled in well for McCoy during the postseason. Jones' on-base skills and speed will make her a strong candidate to replace Kai Luschar in the leadoff spot, and she could be the answer to the hole left by Sinick's gold glove at short. She played a brilliant second base last year, consistently flashing the necessary athleticism, and started the season at the hot corner before flipping with Flannery — a testament to the belief that Lombardi has in her arm's ability to fire across the diamond.

McCoy at first, Flannery at third, Cox at catcher, Jones at short, Shaw in center, and Ma'ake DH'ing would leave the two corner outfield spots and second base open. Legg (No. 91 in 2023) and Kresho (No. 16 in 2024) were both former top-100 recruits and would currently be the leading candidates for the outfield, although I wouldn't count out a position change for Rosa to get her bat in the lineup. She was listed as a catcher/utility player coming out of high school — also playing third — and has the necessary athleticism to play a serviceable corner outfield, which would put her .918 OPS back in the lineup at a far less demanding defensive position. Second base is also almost entirely up in the air, although Jones could end up back there if Lombardi finds an option she likes better at short.

Entering next season, Oregon's roster currently sits at 20 players, giving them flexibility in the transfer portal to work under the limit of 25 roster spots. Lombardi has been no stranger to using the portal to add talent during her time in Eugene, and will look to do the same soon. The most important areas to target will be finding a double-play partner for Jones up the middle, a thumping corner-outfield bat to replace Patmon's production, and a left-handed pitcher who can take the load off of Grein and Sokolsky while offering a different look in the circle like Chambers did throughout the postseason.