Auburn softball adds transfer pitcher Haley Rainey

Hugh Freeze and the Auburn football coaching staff haven’t been the only contingent of Tigers coaches making moves this summer.

Auburn softball added a major piece to the pitching rotation on Thursday, as former Cal State Fullerton pitcher haley rainey announced via Instagram that she will be taking her talents and Big West-leading 1.68 ERA to the Plains next season.

Rainey, who has one year of eligibility remaining, was fantastic in her junior season with the Titans. The right-handed ace racked up 159 strikeouts over 178.2 innings in the Big West. Most impressively, Rainey only allowed 30 extra-base hits throughout the season. Just 2 of those 30 extra-base knocks left the yard.

With star pitcher maddie penta now graduated and set to begin her professional career, Rainey might have just become head coach Mickey Dean’s best option to take over as the Tigers’ No. 1 starting pitcher. The 2024 Big West Pitcher of the Year, Rainey has thrown 440.2 career collegiate innings between Cal State Fullerton and Idaho State. The Adna, Wash. native owns a career 2.29 ERA and a 43-23 record over those three seasons.

While she’ll have to prove she can replicate that dominance in the powerhouse conference that is the SEC, Rainey surely has the tools to be successful on the Plains next season. We’ll see what kind of role she plays for the Tigers as the spring approaches.

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