Tuesday afternoon, the Michigan softball team announced the addition of right-hander Sydney Schwartz as a graduate transfer from Minnesota. Schwartz has one year of eligibility remaining for the 2027 season after four seasons at Minnesota.
Her addition will likely complement the returning starters, rising seniors Gabby Ellis and Erin Hoehn. Schwartz is a top option immediately in the circle for the Wolverines, after two years at the Golden Gophers’ No. 1.
Sunday afternoon, senior catcher Lilly Vallimont
also announced she’s entering the transfer portal. Vallimont redshirted her freshman year due to injury, then became an everyday starter for the Wolverines at catcher and first base. Primarily playing catcher, Vallimont was one of two team captains alongside junior outfielder Ella Stephenson.
Vallimont started all but one game she played in her three non-redshirt seasons, including all 61 her sophomore season, 58 of 60 in 2025, and 55 (54 started) of 58 in 2026. She batted .280 in 2026 along with a career-high 11 home runs, 41 RBIs, .536 slugging percentage, and .339 OBP. Vallimont was consistent behind the plate, with only one error in 2026 and five in her career, for a .995 career fielding percentage.
She started Michigan’s final game against Oklahoma in the Norman Regional Final, but did not have any at-bats as freshman catcher Sydney Hastings went 0-for-2 in her spot, followed by senior infielder Janelle Ilacqua as a pinch hitter. Vallimont’s absence for a majority of the game against the Sooners could be due to a collision on a foul ball in the Wolverines’ Regional Semifinal game against Kansas the previous day.
Her leadership and experience will be difficult to replace, but Hastings is the likely substitute for Vallimont behind the plate, playing in 12 games and starting four while batting .222 with two doubles. She was solid behind the plate, with 41 putouts and a 1.000 fielding percentage. The other option is freshman Rachel Del Busto, who went 0-for-3 with a .250 OBP, along with nine putouts and one assist in the field, playing in four games and starting one.
With Hastings likely behind the plate, Schwartz’ experience will likely be even more helpful.
Michigan will have many options in the circle next season, adding two incoming freshmen on National Signing Day — Addi Thompson and Mia Valbuena — and returning Grayson LaMarche, Haley Ferguson, Reganne Bennett and Kat Meyers along with Hoehn and Ellis. The Division I softball transfer portal doesn’t open for undergraduates until June 8, after the Women’s College World Series ends. However, there could potentially be more turnover — besides Vallimont — for the Wolverines with Schwartz’ addition.
In the 2026 season, Schwartz made 33 appearances and 21 starts, leading the Golden Gophers with 11 wins, 147.2 innings pitched, 11 complete games, five shutouts, one save and 138 strikeouts. She posted a 3.56 ERA while limiting opponents to a .236 batting average. Schwartz was also named to the 2025 All-Big Ten Defensive team, in which she posted a team-best 2.84 earned run average, 158.0 innings pitched, 10 wins, and 123 strikeouts
Schwartz hit for the Gophers as well, batting .224 in 31 games and 67 plate appearances. Her ability to hit at a Big Ten level complements returning pitcher Hoehn, another two-way player for Michigan.
“Sydney instantly elevates our pitching staff,” head coach Bonnie Tholl said via press release. “Her combination of success and experience is the exact formula needed, and most importantly, she is a bulldog of a competitor in the circle. We are all thrilled to have Sydney in maize and blue.”
The Wolverines did not face the Gophers during the 2026 season. However, in 2025, Schwartz started each game of the tripleheader series, including a three-hit shutout in Minnesota’s lone win.
With Schwartz’ addition, Michigan will have an important veteran presence in the circle, particularly with a young catcher half of the battery. Ellis, Hoehn and Schwartz will likely comprise the Wolverines’ top three arms, all in their final year of eligibility, with sophomores either Del Busto or Hastings behind the plate in Vallimont’s absence.
