Hunter
06/11/25
The Iowa Softball team is seeing several players entering the transfer portal after learning that their interim coach was not elevated to a permanent slot after leading the Hawkeyes to their best record since 2009.
Hawk Fanatic reports two-time first-team All-Big Ten infielder Jena Young and second-team pitcher Talia Tretton entered the portal on June 2. All-Big Ten pitcher Jalen Adams followed them into the portal the next day and has since committed to Arizona. On Monday, Desiree Rivera and Soo-Jin Berry said they are entering the transfer portal, too. They expected more teammates to follow.
Rivera and Berry indicated that the moves resulted from the university not elevating Karl Gollan from interim head coach to the permanent position. Berry told Hawk Fanatic, “We clearly stated to (University administration) that there was a chance that a lot of people would leave if Karl wasn’t the coach, and it seemed like they didn’t care at all. I think everyone is just hurt and frustrated by losing a coach who brought out the best in us and kind of tore apart something so rare. We did go through everything and still managed to succeed and be a family rather than just teammates.”
Iowa announced on May 28 that it was hiring program alumnus Stacy May-Johnson as the new head coach.