Stewart, Escobar, Swain make Arizona softball transfer class

The Wildcats return most of its core from last season’s Super Regional group. Arizona found a couple of former Pac-12 foes to plug a few holes in the lineup. They added a former Big 12 arm as the program transitions to the conference. Let’s take a look at the Arizona softball transfer class of Sydney Stewart (Washington), Kiki Escobar (Oregon State) and Saya Swain (Iowa State)

Sydney Stewart

Arizona was one of the beneficiaries of the mass transfer exodus at Washington. Stewart is a rising junior who started 82 games in Seattle, primarily behind the plate. That is where she’ll likely find herself in Tucson, splitting time at catcher and first base because incumbent starting catcher Emily Schepp returns and Emma Kavanaugh is a talented incoming freshman.

Stewart improved on her offensive numbers as numerous Huskies did last season. She saw her average jump up to .321 with 34 more at-bats than in 2023. Stewart showed more of her natural power because it tends to go a long way when she gets into a ball. She had eight doubles and five home runs last season after just five extra-base hits as a freshman. Arizona will need those power numbers. Allie Skaggs, Carlie Scupin and Olivia DiNardo combined for 40 home runs last season and won’t be returning to Tucson.

The future Wildcat dropped her strikeout rate from her freshman season while walking more. According to Synergy Sports, she cut down her swing-and-miss percentage by 9%. She struck out on rise balls nine times as a freshman, only three times last season. Stewart clearly had a plan leading into 2023 and executed it.

Wildcat fans hope to see Stewart hit more balls to the parking lot of Hillenbrand Memorial Stadium but for their team this time.

Kiki Escobar

Escobar is one of the most interesting transfers of this cycle. She is sort of a mystery bag. The Oxnard, Calif. native came onto the scene as a freshman during Oregon State’s run to the Women’s College World Series in 2022.

She earned All-Pac-12 Second Team and All-Freshman Team honors after finishing the year with a .330 average and 74 hits. Escobar missed the entire 2023 season due to injury and struggled in her first year back last season. The Arizona faithful should be optimistic about .185 hitter. She has proven she can be a very good hitter in the Pac-12, and to be fair everyone struggled offensively at Oregon State last season.

Based on the data, Escobar hit a higher percentage of fly balls and pop-ups in 2024 compared to 2022. That will need to change if she is to reach her peak again.

Escobar likely will battle for the second base spot vacated by Skaggs. She’s proven to be a solid defender during her time. If she can find that 2022 form again, Arizona will have found one of the most underrated portals add this offseason.

Saya Swain

After what Arizona endured last season, you can’t have too many pitchers. The Wildcats’ coaching staff imagined having seven different arms to play matchups. Then Devyn Netz, Ryan Maddox and Sydney Somerndike never threw a pitch as the injury bug decimated the staff before the season. If it wasn’t for the late addition of Miranda Stoddard, Arizona would’ve been hurting even more.

Netz, Maddox and Somerndike are all healthy. Stoddard and Aissa Silva return after carrying much of the load last season. Brooke Mannon rounds out the group with freshman Sarah Wright and Swain.

Swain’s career numbers from Iowa State aren’t exactly staggering. However, she likely won’t be asked to pitch 90-plus innings as she did in Ames. The appeal to adding Swain is that she creates whiffs. The graduate student keeps it simple. She throws mostly a combination of a fastball, rise and changeup.

The changeup is her go-to out pitch and can be devasting against hitters. In the clip below from Synergy Sports, Swain strikes out All-Americans Tiare Jennings, Miranda Elish and Yanni Acuña with her changeup.

Swain could excel in a relief role, pairing well with a handful of the other Arizona pitchers.

The Arizona softball transfer class has a chance to be one of the best from this offseason once we look back on it. The talent is there to help the Wildcats make a push in the Big 12.

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