ATLANTA – Georgia State softball is set to welcome nine newcomers to the roster anchored by 13 returners for the 2026 season, head coach Becca Owens announced on Thursday morning.  

Senior infielder Maia Mumpfield leads the returning contingent after a standout 2025 campaign, starting 45 games and topping the returners with a .328 batting average, 45 hits and 20 RBIs, while also posting a team-leading .438 on-base percentage.  

The Panthers' returning charge continues with senior Ashton Schroyer, who started 49 games, notched 38 hits and swiped eight bases, alongside Jordan Rayner, who capped the season with six home runs. 

The Panthers will pair this veteran group with four freshmen and five transfers. 

Maya Bagsby | OF | Freshman | Columbus HS | Columbus, Ga. 

Bagsby joins the roster as a decorated prep outfielder. A two-time Region Player of the Year and two-time First Team All-Region selection, she posted batting averages over .400 every season, including a .527 senior campaign. She helped Columbus capture three region championships and delivered standout performances such as a five-RBI game in which she nearly hit for the cycle. Bagsby also competed as a state qualifier in track and field, was an AP Scholar and National Honor Society member and earned her school's Athletics Gold Award. 

Brynn Bestle | P | Freshman | New Franklin HS | New Franklin, Mo. 

Bestle arrives as one of Missouri's top prep pitchers after rewriting the record books at New Franklin High School. A two-time All-State First Team honoree and two-time CAC Conference MVP, she struck out 718 batters in just three seasons and holds her school's record for strikeouts per seven innings (14.2). Her senior year alone featured 215 strikeouts in 112 innings with a 1.18 ERA while hitting .457 at the plate. Named 2025 Franklin High School Female Athlete of the Year, Bestle also earned multiple All-Region, All-District and All-Conference awards. The standout Iowa Premier Fastpitch player was selected to the Alliance HFL All-Tournament Team. 

Briana Bower | P | Redshirt-Senior | Illinois | Elgin, Ill. 

Bower brings high-level experience from both Illinois and Mississippi State, where she appeared in more than 25 games across four seasons, tallying multiple starts, a complete game and a pair of six-strikeout outings. At the prep level, she was one of the nation's top pitching recruits, ranked No. 33 overall and No. 18 pitcher nationally by Extra Innings Softball. A four-year letterwinner at Huntley High School, she set the program record with 353 strikeouts in a single season, ranked ninth nationally in strikeouts and led her team to the 4A Illinois State Championship. Her high school career featured 12 shutouts, four no-hitters, two perfect games and numerous accolades, including First Team High School All-American honors by both Extra Innings and MaxPreps in 2019. 

Samantha Breaux | INF | Freshman | Westfield HS | Westfield, Ind. 

Breaux was a two-sport standout at Westfield High School, excelling in both softball and volleyball. A two-year letterwinner, she earned Second-Team All-State honors while competing in IHSAA Class 4A and added power at the plate with two home runs in her prep career. She also trained with Options Academy in 2024–25. 

Caitlyn Hall | C/UTL | Sophomore | Abilene Christian | Phenix City, Ala. 

Hall played her freshman season at Abilene Christian, helping the Wildcats return to the WAC Tournament while posting a .250 batting average and a .944 fielding percentage. A four-year starter at Brookstone School in Columbus, Ga., she earned multiple All-State, All-Region and All-Area honors while guiding her team to three Elite 8 appearances. Hall consistently excelled at the plate, hitting above .430 in three straight seasons, and twice earned her team's Top Offensive Player Award. She graduated with a 4.6 GPA, was inducted into both National Honor Societies, and was active in environmental and community service work. 

Allison Jones | OF | Sophomore | Rhode Island | Conyers, Ga. 

Jones made an immediate impact at Rhode Island, appearing in 34 games with 25 starts as a freshman and posting 18 hits with 10 runs scored. At Union Grove High School, she was one of Georgia's premier athletes, earning 2024 5A Region 2 Player of the Year, Henry County Athlete of the Year and a spot on the Georgia All-State Team. She hit .507 her senior season with a school-record 32 stolen bases while leading her team to multiple playoff appearances. Jones also competed in varsity basketball, was a four-year honor roll student and played elite-level travel ball with Lady Dukes - Hotshots National. 

Tenison Myricks | P | Sophomore | Fort Valley State | Jackson, Ga. 

Myricks brings two-way talent after a stellar freshman season at Fort Valley State, where she started 40 games and hit .343 with 20 RBIs while also pitching 122.1 innings with 132 strikeouts. She tossed nine complete games, three shutouts and helped the Wildcats finish as 2025 SIAC Conference runner-up. In high school, Myricks was a First-Team All-State pitcher, two-time All-Region honoree, State All-Star Game participant and Pitcher of the Year. She also excelled in track and field, leadership roles and academics, serving as both Class and Student Body President while graduating in the top 10% of her class. 

Dillyn Suggs | INF | Sophomore | Campbell | Tallahassee, Fla. 

Suggs transfers in after playing her freshman season at Campbell, where she notched a two-run double against NC Central. In high school, she was a power hitter for the Florida State Schools Seminoles, batting .333 with six home runs her senior year while earning Second-Team All-Big Bend honors and the Coaches Award. On the travel circuit, she starred with D1VISION, hitting .346 with a .558 slugging percentage and earned back-to-back MSP All-American honors (2022, 2023). She was also named to the prestigious MSP All-Star Toni's Promise Team in 2023. 

Kya Walker | C/UTL | Freshman | Chattahoochee HS | Alpharetta, Ga. 

Walker was a four-year letterwinner at Chattahoochee High School, where she established herself as a versatile and reliable hitter. She twice earned All-Region honors and was selected to the GADC 2024 All-State Game. Walker compiled a career .317 batting average with 82 hits and a .920 fielding percentage, while helping lead her team to multiple GHSA Class 5A Sweet 16 appearances. She also competed in track, earning Most Improved honors, and sharpened her softball skills on the national stage with Top Gun National Groves 18U.