After losing former ace Aissa Silva to the transfer portal on Monday, hurlers Brooke Mannon and Sydney Somerndike joined her on Tuesday. Silva's appearances significantly decreased in 2025 and Mannon and Somerndike pitched in nine combined games this season.
Mannon is a sophomore who significantly improved in 2025. As a freshman in 2024, Mannon was 6-3 with a 5.18 earned run average in 25 appearances and 11 starts. Mannon allowed 51 hits and 26 walks, with 31 strikeouts and seven home runs allowed in 50.0 innings.
Mannon pitched in seven games with four starts in 2024. In 11.1 innings, Mannon had a 3.71 ERA with four hits, 13 walks, eight strikeouts and no HRs. Arizona signed Mannon out of West Jefferson, Ohio, where she was the three-time Ohio State Player of the Year and a first-team All-American.
Somerndike has been with the Arizona softball program for three years. After appearing in 22 games in 2023, Somerndike redshirted in 2024 due to an injury. Somerndike pitched 0.2 inning in 2025 over two appearances, allowing two runs on two walks and two hits with one HR against her.
In 2023, Somerndike pitched 45.1 innings, had seven starts with a 4.01 ERA, allowing 49 hits with 12 walks, 39 strikeouts and 13 HRs allowed. Somerndike is originally from Villa Park, California, which is just east of Anaheim in Orange County. Somerndike was the 2021 California Gatorade Player of the Year.
Freshman Sarah Wright and redshirt freshman Ryan Maddox are the only remaining pitchers on the Arizona roster for 2026. Maddox started seven games for Arizona in 2025, which was third on the team behind Devyn Netz and Miranda Stoddard. Wright made four appearances with one start.
Maddox was 3-2 with a 4.49 ERA, 1.63 WHIP, 24 strikeouts and five HRs allowed in 43.2 innings. Wright had an 8.08 ERA, 2.08 WHIP, one strikeout and no HRs allowed over 4.1 innings. Head coach Caitlin Lowe and pitching coach Christian Conrad will have to be busy in the transfer portal to build the rest of their 2025 pitching staff.