Texas Tech softball adds All-American Kasidi Pickering in the transfer portal

Once again, Texas Tech is assembling a softball roster that seems capable of getting back to the Women’s College World Series.

>The Red Raiders have continued to land talented players through the transfer portal and got a major boost to the 2027 championship hopes on Thursday night when they secured a commitment from Kasidi Pickering.

>A left-handed hitter who has spent the last three seasons playing for powerhouse Oklahoma, Pickering is a two-time All-American outfielder and was one of the most coveted players available in the transfer portal. Softball America ranked her as the second-best transfer this offseason, just behind Isa Torres, who left Florida State for Texas.

>Pickering announced her commitment to the Red Raiders on social media on Thursday, June 18 with posts on X and Instagram.

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>The junior outfielder from Humble, Texas is coming off a season where she hit for a .370 average with 20 home runs and 61 RBI. She has 50 home runs and an OPS of 1.289 in her career.

>Pickering hit a grand slam in her first collegiate at-bat as a freshman in 2024 and played a key role on Oklahoma’s national championship team that season, making the All-Tournament Team for the WCWS.

>Texas Tech has added several elite players during this transfer portal cycle after losing in the WCWS Final to Texas for the second consecutive season. In addition to Pickering, the Red Raiders landed the national leader in hits in Moriah Polar from Purdue, a talented left-handed pitcher in LSU’s Jayden Heavener, an All-Big 12 pitcher in Utah’s Hailey Maestretti, Michigan State outfielder Zoie Bernard and Louisiana Tech infielder Bradi Gallaway.

>Those additions should help ease the losses of superstar pitcher NiJaree Canady and slugger Mihyia Davis.

>This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: All-American softball outfielder Kasidi Pickering transfers to Texas Tech