Razorbacks Sign Two-Time NFCA All-American Dakota Kennedy

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark.  – Former Arizona outfielder and two-time NFCA All-American Dakota Kennedy has transferred to Arkansas to join head coach Courtney Deifel and the Razorbacks.

Kennedy was a third-team NFCA All-American selection in both 2024 and 2025 at Arizona. During her three seasons as a Wildcat, she posted a .399 batting average with 180 hits, 26 doubles, six triples, 28 home runs, 94 RBI, 91 walks, and 302 total bases while scoring 147 runs and stealing 22 bases. The Sacramento, Calif., native registered a .505 on-base percentage, a .670 slugging percentage, and a 1.175 OPS. Defensively, Kennedy owns a career .996 fielding percentage with 248 putouts and eight assists in 257 chances. She is a three-time first-team all-conference and NFCA All-West Region selection and won the Rawlings Gold Glove Award in left field in 2024.

Kennedy started 44 of Arizona’s 61 games in left field in 2025 while missing 17 games due to injury. She recorded career-highs in batting average (.444), on-base percentage (.539), slugging percentage (.689), and OPS (1.228) in 2025 while tallying 60 hits, 10 doubles, four triples, five home runs, 25 RBI, 28 walks, 48 runs scored and seven stolen bases. She posted 19 multi-hit games and five multi-RBI games, highlighted by a career-high six RBI during a 14-6 win over Western Michigan on Feb. 7. Kennedy also registered a 23-game reached-base streak from Feb. 6 to April 6. Defensively, she had a perfect 1.000 fielding percentage with 74 putouts.

In 2024, she batted .400 with a career-high 68 hits, 10 doubles, 13 home runs, 42 walks, 34 RBI, and 54 runs scored while posting a .521 on-base percentage. Kennedy led Arizona in walks (42), slugging percentage (.688) and on-base percentage (.521). The Sacramento, Calif., product won the Rawlings Gold Glove Award as the nation’s best left fielder after posting a 1.000 fielding percentage with 111 putouts and six assists. She registered a 27-game reached base streak and 13-game hitting streak while collecting 20 multi-hit games and 11 multi-RBI games.

Kennedy posted an impressive .356 batting average, .453 on-base percentage and .630 slugging percentage while registering six doubles, two triples, 10 home runs, 35 RBI and nine stolen bases as a freshman in 2023. During conference play, she led Arizona with a .394 batting average, 28 hits, eight home runs, a .775 slugging percentage, a 1.257 OPS, and 18 runs scored, highlighted by a 6-10 showing at the plate in a three-game series against UCLA, which featured a pair of home runs. Kennedy recorded 15 multi-hit games and five multi-RBI games while posting a pair of 10+ game reached-base streaks.

Academically, she is a two-time College Sports Communicators (CSC) Academic All-America selection and three-time Easton NFCA All-America Scholar Athlete.

Kennedy prepped at Sheldon High School in Sacramento, Calif., where she was named the SBLive Sac-Joaquin Section Athlete of the Year as a senior in 2022 after batting .465 with 13 home runs, 42 RBI, 14 stolen bases, and 54 runs scored while leading Sheldon to a 7-1 Division I Sac-Joaquin Section Championship. Kennedy was ranked as the No. 1 center fielder in her class and No. 4 overall player by Extra Inning Softball. She was a two-time Extra Inning Softball First-Team All-American and a two-time First-Team All-State selection while also earning PGF and MaxPreps All-America honors as a senior.

She is the Razorbacks’ second signee by way of the transfer portal this offseason, joining Cal transfer infielder Tianna Bell, who signed with Arkansas on June 17.

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