The Auburn Tigers’ softball season ended Sunday with a 5-1 loss to Clemson in the Clemson Regional final. Since then, four players have declared their intention to find a new home by entering the transfer portal.
Senior outfielder Lindsey Garcia kickstarted the movement by announcing that she would be entering as a graduate student prior to the Clemson Regional. Since then, three more have entered the portal.
Senior [autotag]Carlee McCondichie[/autotag] and sophomores [autotag]Jessie Blaine[/autotag] and [autotag]Bri Ellis[/autotag] all announced Monday that they will be looking for new homes. D1Softball has added their names to their transfer portal tracker.
McCondichie, like Garcia, has recently graduated from Auburn but has eligibility remaining due to her freshman season being the COVID-shortened year in 2020. She exits Auburn with a career average of .326 with 98 hits, seven home runs, and 50 RBI. She reached career highs in average (.338), hits (46), doubles (6), home runs (4), and slugging percentage (.500) in 2022. During the 2023 season, she sent home a personal-best 22 runs.
Blaine enters the portal after completing her second season on the Plains. She saw action in 110 games over the last two years, starting in 86 of those. After starting in 53 of 54 games in 2022, her production took a hit in 2023 as started in 20 fewer games. Because of this, she was only able to muster 25 hits, two home runs, and 18 RBI, as opposed to the 39/9/37 she built as a true freshman.
The announcement that shook the Auburn fan base is the one made by Bri Ellis, the power-hitting first baseman for the Tigers. The 2022 Freshman of the Year had another excellent campaign in 2023 by batting .275 with 14 home runs and 47 RBI. In just two seasons, Ellis has hit for a .288 average with 87 hits, 34 HR, and 96 RBI, while slugging .685.
It is still early in the process, but Auburn already appears to be heading into rebuilding mode as two productive seniors, as well as two valuable underclassmen, are looking for new homes for the 2024 season. Auburn concluded their 2023 season with a 43-19 record, their best under [autotag]Mickey Dean[/autotag].
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