UPDATE 04/07/21: Linnay Wilson’s name appeared in the NCAA’s transfer portal on April 5th; she carries a graduate transfer designation. Lauryn Garcia, a former teammate of Wilson’s at LMU, also entered the portal on April 5th, and carries a similar graduate transfer designation.
ORIGINAL STORY:
Loyola Marymount is down a star pitcher and has recently had two other players enter the NCAA’s transfer portal, sources confirmed to JWOS on Monday.
Starting pitcher Linnay Wilson, who was the team’s ace in the circle in 2020, departed the program in early March. A program spokesperson confirmed Wilson’s departure, but the COVID-junior pitcher had not entered the transfer portal as of Monday. Wilson was 1-1 on the 2021 season, with nine innings pitched in four appearances prior to her departure.
As a true freshman in 2018, Wilson earned All-West Coast Conference honors with a 10-8 record, 150 strikeouts, and seven complete games. She posted an ERA of 2.56 with sixty-two strikeouts as a sophomore in 2019, and was 6-5 with ranked wins over LSU and Michigan during the shortened 2020 season.
In addition to Wilson’s departure from the Lions’ roster, two players have entered their names into the NCAA’s transfer portal in the last few weeks. Star catcher Molly Grumbo entered the portal on February 25th, while former starting infielder Riley Ehlen entered the portal on March 11th.
Ehlen, who started every game for the Lions in 2020, had made just six appearances – all starts – through twenty games in 2021.
Grumbo, one of the West Coast Conference’s best hitters, currently sits second on the Lions’ roster with a .295 batting average and leads the teams in at-bats, hits, and doubles. For her part, she led the Lions in 2020 with a .487 batting average. Grumbo’s name appeared in the portal with a graduate transfer distinction, and a source confirmed that Grumbo is expected to finish this season with LMU before transferring for her final season of eligibility.
Loyola Marymount is currently 10-10 during the 2021 season, their first under new head coach Tairia Flowers.
