Tennessee softball knows its 2027 Southeastern Conference opponents. After a nonconference slate that will include a trip to the Mary Nutter Collegiate Classic in Cathedral City, Calif., the Lady Vols will begin conference play in College Station, Texas.
The Texas A&M Aggies and head coach Trisha Ford return from a 38-19 season. That season ended in the NCAA College Station Regional at the hands of Arizona State. While the Aggies’ roster isn’t online currently, some key returners and new additions give an idea of who they are.
Texas A&M’s pitching staff finished 2026 with a staff ERA of 3.70, which was 77th in the country. The staff showed potential, with some very good games throughout last season. They were led by Sidne Peters and Sydney Lessentine for a combined 30-11 record with 242 strikeouts across 257.2 innings. Lessentine flirted with a perfect game in the early goings of the season vs. NC State. Peters began last season mostly in relief, but quickly found herself in the starting rotation.
Those two are back, and Ford added transfers Nikki Bodeaux (Houston) and Madison Azua (Texas State) to bolster that staff. Azua brings a career 54-26 record with 496 strikeouts and an opponents’ batting average of .231 across 504.1 innings pitched. She was the ace of Texas State’s staff. Bobcats head coach Ricci Woodard lost some sleep over losing her. This was a huge get for Ford and the Aggies. Most recently, Ford brought in Brielle Wright. Wright is the 2025 Ivy League Pitcher of the Year at Princeton, who set the program’s single-season saves record with 11.
The Aggies were one of the top offensive teams in the country. They finished with a team batting average of .340 and hit 83 home runs last season. A couple of huge bats in All-American Mya Perez and Ariel Kowalewski are back. In addition, Ford also returns proven contributors in KK Dement, Frankie Vrazel and Paislie Allen.
Dement brought power with 11 home runs and 45 RBIs, Allen added eight home runs, and Vrazel chipped in 10 extra-base hits. Another returner who did well in limited time was Maddie Sauni. She hit .333 with three home runs and 16 RBIs in 60 at-bats.
One of the incoming transfers that add to their offense right off is former Arkansas Razorback Atalyia Rijo. In 2026 with Arkansas, Rijo hit .342 with a 1.037 OPS, adding 13 doubles, seven home runs and 42 RBIs. She also drew 28 walks against 21 strikeouts. That was good for a .462 on-base percentage. Houston brings another in transfer Jordee Wilkins. In 2025, Wilkins hit .336 with a .586 slugging percentage and a .466 on-base percentage, adding 13 doubles, five triples and three home runs with 22 RBIs.
If Wilkins can get back to the sophomore version she was at Houston, she could provide some solid contributions to the Aggies as well. Ford also adds catcher Kennedy Miller from Arkansas. Miller hit .279 with 15 home runs and 92 RBIs over three seasons. She gives the Aggies an experienced bat and catcher. Rounding out the class are outfielder Maddox McKee from LSU and infielder Trinitey Spencer, a highly touted 2026 recruit who flipped from Texas Tech.
It’s a long way between now and then, and fall will bring more of a snapshot of what teams around the conference look like. But it’s never too early to look at what’s ahead.
