ORLANDO – The UCF softball team has made its first splash in the transfer portal this summer, landing former Georgia Southern infielder Kayla Christensen.
Christensen most recently earned All-Sun Belt Conference Honorable Mention recognition for her work at second base in 2026, starting each of the Eagles’ 53 games while slashing .324/.407/.400 (55-for-170) with 37 runs scored, four doubles, three triples, one home run, 21 walks and 14 RBI.
She started her season on a five-game hit streak, going 6-for-15 with a pair of walks in that span, and later produced her first three-hit game of the year against Purdue Feb. 14, going 3-for-4 with a triple, two RBI and a run scored.
Christensen notably hit her first career home run against the then-No. 25 Clemson Tigers Feb. 27, helping the Eagles to an 8-7 victory with a 2-for-3 showing that also saw her score three times.
She led her team with three triples on the year, and also ranked among the Eagles’ team leaders in average (.324, 2nd), runs scored (37, 2nd), total hits (55, 2nd), walks (21, 2nd), total bases (68, 3rd), on-base percentage (.407, 3rd), and slugging percentage (.400, 3rd). Her 133 defensive assists also ranked fourth-most in the Sun Belt Conference.
After notching seven multi-hit games throughout her debut 2025 slate with Georgia Southern, she produced her first five career three-hit affairs in 2026, eventually totaling 16 multi-hit games this spring overall.
As a freshman in 2025, Christensen started 44 of her 46 appearances, hitting for a combined .271/.375/.333 (35-for-129) line, accompanied by 21 runs scored, eight doubles, 43 total bases, 18 walks, 12 RBI and 11 stolen bases.
She represented the toughest hitter to strike out in the Sun Belt Conference a year ago, fanning just twice in 156 plate appearances. Her two strikeouts on the year were tied for the fewest in the nation in 2025 with USC Upstate’s Taliyah Thomas and Austin Peay’s Kylie Campbell, and her and her 11 stolen bases ranked second most on the team as well.