Following a standout collegiate playing career and spending the 2026 AUSL Season with the Carolina Blaze, Dakota Kennedy joined the Arkansas Razorbacks coaching staff as a graduate manager for the 2027 season.
Kennedy made a massive impact during her lone season as a Razorback in 2026. The senior transfer was an integral part of the Hogs’ first trip to the Women’s College World Series in program history. Kennedy led the Razorbacks with a .373 batting average, tallying 60 hits, 13 doubles, one triple, 16 home runs, and 54 RBI while drawing 26 walks and scoring 51 runs. She posted a team-leading .764 slugging percentage and a .466 on-base percentage. Defensively, Kennedy logged a .959 fielding percentage with 46 putouts and one assist in left field. The Sacramento, Calif., product collected 17 multi-hit games and 15 multi-RBI games. She became just the third player in program history to hit 3+ home runs by going 3-for-3 with three home runs and 5 RBI in a win over Kansas on March 1. She joined Danielle Gibson (4, 2/23/19) and Rylin Hedgecock (4/22/23) as the only Hogs to accomplish the feat. Kennedy also had a 3-4 performance that included a solo home run, a grand slam, a double, a walk and seven RBI in a win at Alabama on March 14. She was a First-Team All-SEC selection and a Second-Team NFCA All-Region selection. Kennedy batted a team-leading .339 during SEC contests with 19 hits, four doubles, five home runs, 18 RBI, and 38 total bases while scoring 13 runs and drawing 10 walks. She registered a .679 slugging percentage and .448 on-base percentage while recording five multi-hit games and five multi-RBI games. Defensively, she posted a perfect 1.000 fielding percentage with 27 putouts and one assist in left field.
Prior to her time as a Razorback, Kennedy was a third-team NFCA All-American selection in both 2024 and 2025 at Arizona while also winning the Rawlings Gold Glove in 2024. 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.
