On Friday Oregon softball coach Melyssa Lombardi signed Addison Amaral, a shortstop from Salinas, California who played her first two seasons at Notre Dame University .
Amaral led the Irish in nearly every offensive category in 2025, tops on the team in "batting average, runs, hits, doubles, home runs, RBI, total bases, slugging percentage, walks, on-base percentage, and sacrifice flies," according to Softball America.
She hit .365 as a sophomore with nine home runs and 43 RBI. Amaral fills a critcal need for Lombardi and the team, replacing Gold Glove shortstop Paige Sinicki, a senior who just signed an AUSA pro contract.
Amaral had 31 offers in the portal since entering on May 21.
Notre Dame SS Addison Amaral has entered the transfer portal.
— Justin McLeod (@justfactsmaam) May 22, 2025
A two-time all-ACC selection, Amaral owns a career .352 batting average with 19 home runs, 26 doubles, 96 RBIs, and 60 runs scored. pic.twitter.com/XlMQavu0Fq
She comes by her athletic talent naturally but the hard work is all hers. Her father Chad played football at Santa Clara. At Notre Dame High School in Salinas she earned all-state honors as a senior with 99 hits and 23 career home runs.
"Addison Amaral does it again!"
— Notre Dame Softball (@NDsoftball) April 19, 2025
2nd 2-run homer of the day for Addi 😳
💻 ACCNX | @AddisonAmaral pic.twitter.com/g5x9XGMFfG
She's the second Northern California addition for the Ducks this June, joining versatile power-hitting utility player Elon Butler from San Jose and the Cal Bears, who signed with the team on Wednesday.
For Duck fans, it's great to see that the House Settlement and impending revenue shakeup hasn't slowed momentum in the program. Coach Lombardi talks about Version 8, her vision for the 2026, building on the success of this year's 54-10 squad that won the Big Ten Championship, came back to beat Stanford in the Eugene Regional and Liberty in the Super Regional.
The Ducks will have pitchers Lyndsey Grein and Elise Sokolsky back, plus these two big bats from the portal. The fabulous freshmen who played so well this season return, first baseman Rylee McCoy, designated player Stefini Ma'ake, catcher Emma Cox, second baseman Kaylynn Jones, all full-time starters.
Slap-hitting specialist Jones hit .345 batting out of the eighth spot for the Ducks, with 23 walks and 16 stolen bases. She's a great candidate to lead off next year with Kai Luschar graduated. McCoy and Ma'ake combined to blast 33 home runs (19 and 14 respectively) with 113 RBI (59, 54.)
Cox was a rock behind the plate for the Ducks, chipping in eight home runs and 34 RBI. Slick-fielding third basemen Katie Flannery, a junior-to-be from Birmingham, Alabama returns also, 97 assists and eight double plays in 2025.