Morgan Leinstock Joins Arkansas from Southern Miss

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – Transfer pitcher Morgan Leinstock is the newest member of the Arkansas Razorback softball team, head coach Courtney Deifel announced Thursday. A graduate transfer, Leinstock will be immediately eligible with one year of eligibility remaining.

Leinstock comes to Fayetteville after pitching three seasons at Southern Miss and one at Arizona State. Leinstock joins outfielder Nia Carter from Iowa as the newest Hogs.

Hailing from Scottsdale, Ariz., Leinstock made 104 career appearances spanning from 2020 to 2023. During her time at Southern Miss, Leinstock recorded 37 wins, a 2.65 ERA and 443 strikeouts over 489 innings pitched.

During the 2023 campaign, Leinstock led the staff in almost every statistical category, pacing Southern Miss with 13 victories, a 2.56 ERA and 185 strikeouts while limiting opponents to a .232 batting average across 183 innings pitched. Leinstock also powered the Golden Eagles with 17 complete games and four saves in 34 appearances. She hurled four double-digit strikeout performances.

As a junior in 2022, Leinstock pitched to an 18-13 record with a 2.64 ERA and 161 strikeouts over 199.0 innings pitched. She made 40 appearances with 32 starts while registering team highs in complete games (23), strikeouts (161) and innings pitched.

During her sophomore year, Leinstock appeared in the circle 29 times, making 17 starts in her first season at Southern Miss. Leinstock tossed a team high 17 games. Picking up six wins, Leinstock led the Golden Eagles in strikeouts (97), appearances (29), games started (17), innings pitched (107.0) and saves (4). She also filed a 2.81 ERA in 2021.

Leinstock made one appearance as a freshman at Arizona State during the COVID-19 shortened 2020 season.

A talented recruit out of Horizon High School, Leinstock held a 1.51 career ERA with 20 wins and 523 strikeouts in 421.1 innings pitched. In each of her four seasons, she earned a spot on the All-District and All-Region teams.

Deifel and the Razorbacks are coming off their third consecutive 40-win season and a top-four SEC finish along with the program’s sixth consecutive NCAA Tournament berth. Earning the No. 11 national seed, all four of the program’s national seeds have been accumulated under Deifel.

For schedule updates and other news, go to ArkansasRazorbacks.com, or follow @RazorbackSB on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.