She’s No. 34 on Softball America’s Preseason Top 100 players list, but she’s more important than that to Arizona. She was on the NFCA All-American third team last year. Don’t be surprised to see her higher this year.
Dakota Kennedy, LF
Make no mistake, though. Netz has been a leader on this team for years and it would be a surprise if she isn’t one of the primary leaders this year. Her devotion to the program and willingness to do whatever the Wildcats need are as important as her numbers.
Aissa Silva, LHP
Netz did all she could to keep Arizona’s postseason streak alive in 2023, eating a ton of innings in the circle, playing first base after an injury to Carlie Scupin, and giving the Wildcats some offensive punch at designated player. It didn’t work out for her or the team that season. Then, she had to sit out all last year with an injury, but the redshirt senior looked ready to return to form during fall ball.
Arizona should have another strong outfield core with starters Kennedy, Shockey, and Kaiah Altmeyer all returning. The speedy trio provides high-level experience and Shockey will be central to their continued success in 2025.
Regan Shockey, CF
Defense will always be the strongest aspect of Biehl’s game, but her ability to put runs on the board will be equally important with the loss of Scupin and Allie Skaggs.
On defense, she not only patrolled Arizona’s outfield but also came in as a fifth infielder in the defensive shift that the Wildcats employed for slap hitters. Eight of her assists came in the infield.
Lead photo by Mike Christy / Arizona Athletics
Kavanagh brings a big bat to Tucson. She also looked good behind the plate during fall ball. The question will be how the innings at catcher, designated player, and first base are divided among Kavanagh, Stewart, Emily Schepp, Netz, and Stoddard.
Like her outfield teammate, Shockey made Softball America’s top 100 players preseason list. She came in at No. 59.
Devyn Netz, RHP/UTIL
It was a surprise when a ball got by her. It wasn’t a surprise to see her roam all over the left side of the infield and shallow outfield to make plays that didn’t look possible.
Blaise Biringer patrolled third base for most of the previous three years. Now, Arizona has to find someone new to take over there along with first and second. Sniffen appears to have the inside track at third.
Last year, the Wildcats brought in Miranda Stoddard. This year, they added Saya Swain. Along with Netz, that gives them four seniors/grad students to go along with redshirt junior Kiki Escobar. They also have true juniors Tayler Biehl, Aissa Silva, Sydney Stewart, Logan Cole, Camila Zepeda, Kennedy, and Altmeyer, as well as redshirt sophomore Sydney Somerndike. While four of those upperclassmen are in their first year at Arizona and one is in her second, it gives the Wildcats a much larger base of players with years of competition under their belts.
Shockey led Arizona with a .404 batting average and led the Pac-12 with 80 hits. Those 80 hits were second among DI freshmen and ninth among all DI players. Her batting average was sixth among DI freshmen. Her 22 multi-hit games led the Wildcats.
Tayler Biehl, SS
Shockey started all 56 games of her freshman campaign in centerfield. She was the only Pac-12 freshman to make the top 10 finalists for NFCA Freshman of the Year on the national scene but was not the Pac-12 Freshman of the Year. She was first team All-Pac-12 and first team All-West Region. She also made the Pac-12 All-Freshman and All-Defensive teams. Both D1 Softball and Softball America named her a Freshman All-American.
Biehl also came on offensively. No longer was it expected that she would have the DP hit for her as so often happened her freshman year. Most importantly, things clicked when it got tough. Five of her six home runs came in Pac-12 play.
Sydney Stewart, C/UTIL
The freshman showed some home-run power during fall. She also played a steady third base. It will be a change from Biringer, who used speed on offense instead of power. Arizona appears to have a potential four-year starter at the hot corner, though.
In the field, if it’s anywhere on the left side of the outfield or beyond the left foul line, there’s a good chance that Kennedy is going to turn it into an out. She had a perfect fielding percentage last year and led the Arizona outfield with 111 putouts. It earned her a Rawlings Gold Glove as a sophomore.
Kennedy was one of two Wildcats who played all season and ended 2024 hitting above .400. Her batting average landed exactly at .400 when the season came to a close in the Stillwater Super Regional. Her 1.209 OPS led the team. She upped her on-base and slugging percentages, lowered her strikeouts, had 13 more hits, and knocked two more balls out of the park between her freshman and sophomore seasons.
The Arizona Wildcats will take the softball field in exactly one month when they face Michigan State in a doubleheader on Thursday, Feb. 6. at Hillenbrand Stadium. Preseason honors are starting to come out. Which five players will be the most critical to Arizona’s success in 2025?
Jenna Sniffen, 3B
She had two three-hit games in conference play. She hit two home runs in one game at UCLA. Two of her three-RBI games came against Pac-12 competition.
Biehl’s average dropped her sophomore year, but she matched her doubles and triples from a season before. She went from no home runs as a freshman to six as a sophomore. Her slugging percentage went from .379 to .441. She had one more walk, one fewer strikeout, and was hit by five pitches after zero as a rookie.
Honorable mention
Stewart didn’t show a lot of home-run power at Washington, but she dramatically bumped up her average, hits, slugging percentage, and on-base percentage her sophomore season. She was solid behind the plate during fall ball. Head coach Caitlin Lowe especially praised the ability of the 6-foot-1 backstop to get down to the low ball.
Biehl was the Pac-12 co-Defensive Player of the Year last season as a sophomore. Her 103 assists led the Pac-12 when the regular season came to an end. She ended the postseason still in the lead with 114 assists.
Biehl went from a batter who often couldn’t quite get on base with the slap to one who could swing away for power. It made a huge difference.
The junior has made a major impact both in the field and the batter’s box since she stepped foot on campus. That’s not going to change this year.
Silva took on a lot of responsibility as a freshman. It was a big ask for someone who enrolled early and spent what should have been her senior season in high school as a major contributor at a big-time college softball program. She had even more on her shoulders last year when Netz was out with injury. She may not see as many innings with Arizona’s eight-pitcher bullpen, but her impact will be just as important.
Arizona was slated to go into this season with just one senior on the roster, OF/DP Paige Dimler. Having Netz for her redshirt senior season and bringing in several transfers has helped add experience to the roster.
Emma Kavanagh, C/UTIL
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