LSU softball had eight players enter the transfer portal after the 2026 season ended in a heartbreaking loss to Alabama in the NCAA Super Regional round.
The Tigers showcased significant growth in the 2026 season, and many fans were excited to see where the veteran players would take the program in 2027. This expectation crumbled after several returning players announced they were entering the transfer portal before it even opened.
The first Tiger to enter the transfer portal was Maddox McKee. McKee is entering her senior season and committed to Texas A&M on Wednesday. While at LSU, she pushed her way into the starting lineup several times during her freshman and sophomore years as an infielder and outfielder.
During her freshman campaign, she started at third base after Danieca Coffey’s season-ending ACL injury. Her sophomore year was a mix of defensive and offensive production from second base, left field and the designated player position.
However, McKee couldn’t crack the starting lineup in 2026, and as the first LSU player to enter the transfer portal, she probably was thinking about this happening during her senior years well.
Jada Phillips was the second LSU softball player to enter the transfer portal. Phillips’ primary position is catcher, and she would have been very fitting in the catcher position after Maci Bergeron graduated in Spring 2026.
However, she entered the portal on May 31 and has not yet named her next university.
The first widely-known player to enter the portal was Jayden Heavener on June 1. Heavener was the first left-handed LSU pitcher since 2008, and she quickly made herself a big part of the LSU pitching rotation from her first outing. In the first appearance of her career, Heavener threw a perfect game against Charlotte on Feb. 7, 2025.
Heavener announced on Saturday that she will be heading to Texas Tech. .
Destiny Harris also entered the portal on June 1 after two seasons at LSU. She wasn’t a consistent starter, but she managed to boast a .304 career batting average at LSU. LSU softball’s head coach Beth Torina has said that Harris is the fastest Tiger on the roster.
Harris also hasn’t revealed where she will be going for her junior season.
The second well-known player is redshirt sophomore Tori Edwards. Edwards had a breakout season in her redshirt freshman year. Hitting 18 home runs and batting 73 runs. In her sophomore year, she hit 12 home runs and scored 45 RBI. Her bat was a staple in the LSU lineup during both seasons.
However, Edwards has not announced her commitment for 2027.
Freshman pitcher Lauryn Soeken did not have an appearance at LSU, but received a redshirt for the season. She is entering the portal with no LSU stats, but she did win a USSSA Gold Glove award in high school.
Soeken also hasn’t announced the next stop in her collegiate career.
Gradie Appling was the next Tiger to enter the transfer portal. Appling was a freshman in the 2026 season, and she played in eight games. She recorded three hits during her freshman season, and she has not said where she will be going for the remainder of her collegiate career.
The final Tiger to enter the portal as of June 2 was Jadyn Laneaux. Laneaux’s best season at LSU was her sophomore season. She started 52 games that season, batting .307; She didn’t play in 2026, presumably for an injury.
Laneaux has not announced where she will be going for 2027.
Neither LSU athletics nor the softball team has given a cause for the mass migration in early June. LSU athletic director, Verge Ausberry, said that Torina’s spot as head coach is safe.
What began an offseason of hope for fans has shattered, and the 2027 season appears as uncertain as the 2026 season did in the beginning.
