photo by: AP Photo/Mike Buscher

Wichita St. starting pitcher/relief pitcher Chloe Barber (26) during an NCAA softball game against Kentucky on Thursday, Feb. 13, 2025, in Clearwater, Fla.

The Kansas softball team is still looking for its first trip to the NCAA Tournament under head coach Jennifer McFalls, and first since 2015 overall, following a lackluster 2025 campaign.

After a slide late in the 2024 season had caused them to narrowly miss the postseason, the veteran Jayhawks returned with plenty of motivation entering the following year. But a series of narrow losses in the clutch early in the season created a trend that lasted well into conference play, and KU finished 22-28 and ninth of 11 teams in the Big 12 — right where it had been projected in the league’s preseason poll.

KU did not win a league series after its first of the season and went one-and-done in the Big 12 tournament. Its home record of 4-13 at Arrocha Ballpark was the worst since the facility opened in 2014.

Despite several standout performances at the plate, such as from second-team all-conference pick Olivia Bruno (.324 average, team-high 1.037 OPS, 12 home runs and 40 RBIs), shortstop Hailey Cripe (.329, 1.003, 10 home runs and 34 RBIs) and center fielder Presley Limbaugh (team-best .358 average, also an all-defensive selection), the KU offense ranked among the worst in the Big 12 in its first year under hitting coach Justin Lewis.

Meanwhile, in the circle, Bruno took a dramatic step forward to post a 2.91 ERA on the season, but senior Katie Brooks, freshmen Kennedy Diggs and Kaelee Washington and junior Lizzy Ludwig were inconsistent against league foes, and Ludwig only pitched once after April 18.

One bright spot for the Jayhawks entering next season is continuity, with fairly few players departing. Brooks and Bruno went through senior-day festivities along with catcher Natalie Marshall; infielder Sara Roszak, whose action diminished greatly in her senior year; and rarely used transfer Candace Yingling. The only known player besides any of those who is in the portal so far is Haley Webb, a catcher who did not play much after joining KU from Indiana State.

That means longtime starters like Cripe, Limbaugh, second baseman Campbell Bagshaw and right fielder Aynslee Linduff will be back. Also, September Flanagan and Ava Wallace, who had decent seasons as first-time starters at third base and in left field, respectively, will have more time to develop before they return to action. Others of note include role players like Madi Hays and Kadence Stafford, periodic starters Anna Soles and Emma Tatum and the rest of last year’s freshman class.

KU may not have a lot of space to add with so many veterans coming back, but it initially announced a promising signing class of six freshmen, added one more and two JUCO transfers soon afterward and then, so far, has tacked on one transfer-portal pitcher, Chloe Barber.

The projected newcomers

Barber, who committed on June 13, comes from Wichita State, where she actually pitched against the Jayhawks on a pair of occasions during her two collegiate seasons.

Barber is a 5-foot-11 righty who is originally from Lino Lakes, Minnesota. She was more effective during her freshman year, when she burst onto the scene in a ranked win on the road at Arkansas by allowing one run and striking out 15 in a complete game. She eventually accrued a 3.70 ERA in 94 2/3 innings pitched and was named to her conference’s all-rookie team.

She was on an even better pace as a sophomore for the first month of the 2025 season, but then got into a series of games in which she allowed at least three earned runs in 11 consecutive appearances, only one of which was longer than four innings. In conference games, her ERA was 8.96.

McFalls and pitching coach Laura Heberling will look to achieve her top form and work her in along with Diggs, Washington, Ludwig and a variety of freshmen (more on them later).

Two JUCO players are expected to join KU next season after signing late in 2024. Ellie Loveless was an occasional pitcher, but more often designated player, shortstop and third baseman, at McLennan. The native of Washington, Oklahoma, hit .449 with 13 home runs and 45 RBIs as a freshman in 2024 as the Highlanders were national runners-up but, like Barber, was not as effective in her second year. She also only played in 36 games as a sophomore and didn’t appear after March 29, reportedly due to a season-ending injury.

Loveless’ teammate Tehya Pitts is a Division I bounce-back center fielder who started her career hitting .310 for East Texas A&M in 2024, a year when the Lions went 9-45. She continued to see the ball well at McLennan, as a first-team JUCO All-American who averaged .472 with 31 RBIs. She should bolster and add experience to the Jayhawks’ outfield.

KU demonstrated in 2025 that it isn’t afraid to throw freshmen into the circle early on. It certainly has some strong candidates for 2026.

photo by: David Rodish/Journal-World

Eudora senior pitcher Sam Claire winds up to throw in a 4-0 win over Rock Creek in the 4A state quarterfinal game in Salina on Thursday, May 29, 2025.

Blakely Barber added to her school record with 264 strikeouts during her senior season at Rouse High School in Leander, Texas. Eudora’s Sam Claire, already an All-Area co-player of the year, helped lead the Cardinals to a second-place finish in the 4A state tournament and set both single-season and career strikeout records of her own. The third incoming freshman pitcher is Lila Mae Partridge of Petaluma, California, a three-time all-league pitcher of the year with a career ERA of 1.28 and batting average of .491.

The freshman class also includes four position players. The one added shortly after signing day was Braelyn Daniels, a catcher formerly committed to LSU with a career OPS of 1.642 at Ridge Point High School.

The rest are Ella Boyer, another Texas catcher (and club teammate of Barber’s) who also plays in the infield and hit 20 home runs with 73 RBIs as a senior; Brinley Ramirez, a speedy outfielder who was the Texas High School Coaches Association’s Class AA offensive player of the year; and Audri Youngblood, an all-state outfielder from Missouri and four-sport athlete who had a .534 average in her senior season.