411 on the Forty — Part One: Softball adds Texas Tech transfer

Softball adds Texas Tech transfer
After losing outfielder Tuesday DerMargosian and starting shortstop Kaitlyn Slack to graduation following the abbreviated 2020 season, Texas head softball coach Mike White began looking for reinforcements in the transfer portal.

In April, Ole Miss pitcher Molly Jacobson answered the call to help anchor the Horns’ pitching staff as they make a run for the Women’s College World Series in 2021. She will join the team as a graduate transfer.

Then, on Sunday night, Texas Tech freshman Brianna Cantu added her name to the list of incoming transfers for 2021. A freshman this past spring, Cantu will be eligible to play immediately under softball’s one-time transfer rule that was passed in 2018. A native of League City, Texas, she saw plenty of action during her lone season in Lubbock, appearing in 16 games, and starting eight of them. Her versatility is one of the many things that made her a four-time All-District honoree at Clear Creek High, as she saw time at first base, third base and DP with Texas Tech. Statistically, she performed well, considering her lack of experience at the collegiate level, batting .200 for the season, including a three-hit performance against Louisiana Tech.

The addition of Cantu, along with Jacobson, primes Texas for the Women’s College World Series run that it was denied in 2020, when Covid-19 swept across the country, causing mass cancellations of nearly every sporting event. These two will contribute to a team that will be led by All-America Miranda Elish next season, along with upperclassmen Janae Jefferson, Lauren Burke and Taylor Ellsworth, among many others.