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OKLAHOMA CITY, OKLAHOMA - APRIL 18: Riley Zache #14 of the Oklahoma Sooners playing against the Mississippi State Bulldogs at Devon Park on April 18, 2025 in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. (Photo by Joshua Gateley/Getty Images for ONIT) | Getty Images for ONIT
Michigan softball head coach Bonnie Tholl announced the signings of transfer infielder Kira Day and catcher Abby Ptak on June 23. Both are joining the Wolverines after two seasons at their previous schools, Day from Idaho State (Big Sky) and Ptak from Boston College (ACC), although Day redshirted her first year for the Bengals.
Michigan’s socialmedia also denoted a package transfer of Niles, with Michigan natives Riley and Berkley Zache both transferring from Oklahoma. Riley, Day and Ptak serve as potential replacements to fill gaps left in Michigan’s infield, following the departure of virtually the entire starting group, save sophomore shortstop Kiley Carr: senior infielders Maddie Erickson, Janelle Ilacqua, Indiana Langford and Madi Ramey, along with catcher Lilly Vallimont.
Berkley adds to the Wolverines’ rotation of returning right-handers Gabby Ellis and Erin Hoehn, along with transfer Sydney Schwartz from Minnesota, following a predominantly reliever role for the Sooners.
Ptak plays catcher and first base, suggesting she could be a versatile defensive replacement for either of the two seniors on the 2025-26 Michigan roster. With Vallimont transferring to Duke for her graduate year, it appears that Ptak could battle sophomore catcher Sydney Hastings for the starting role behind the plate, after Ptak threw out 11 runners on zero errors in her 51 games started.
Ptak’s addition also coincides with sophomore catcher/infielder Andee Dircks transferring to East Carolina. Or, depending on battery compatibility, the duo could alternate depending on which of the Wolverines’ many arms are in the circle. Ptak could also be an option at first base after Ramey graduated. Her 6-foot frame would also be a bigger target for Michigan’s infielders, compared to Ramey’s 5-foot-6 stature as a true utility infielder/outfielder.
Wherever Ptak slots in defensively, though, her bat will be a big addition. She started all 51 games for the Eagles, leading the team in batting average (.375), doubles (14) and hits (60). She concluded her sophomore year named to the NFCA Northeast All-Region second team as Boston College’s three-hitter, collecting the team’s only two hits in a season-ending defeat to Florida State.
Despite individual success that was historic on a program level — Ptak’s 14 doubles tied third-most for a season, 60 hits marked 10th-most, and .375 average was eight-best — Ptak’s team finished with subpar 13-38 overall and 3-21 conference records. She joins the Wolverines, likely looking to make her first NCAA Regional, and boost Michigan back to the Super Regionals for the first time since 2016.
On the other hand, Day will hopefully translate historic postseason momentum into success for the Wolverines. As the Big Sky Softball Tournament champions, the Bengals qualified for their first-ever NCAA Tournament appearance. During the tournament, Day batted .500 with three home runs and six RBI in three games from the six-hole. Despite being the first team knocked out of the Eugene Regional, Idaho State finished the season 37-20 and 10-5 in Big Sky play, in large part due to Day’s team-leading slugging percentage. She concluded the season slugging .771 with 13 home runs, 38 RBI, and a .324 batting average.
Day is a fitting pickup for the Wolverines. Her power hitting could be a boon for a team looking to compete with the Big Ten’s big hitting, which saw both regular season and tournament champion Nebraska along with record-setting UCLA advance to the Women’s College World Series this year following massive showings at the plate.
“We’re thrilled to welcome Kira and Abby to Michigan,” Tholl said via press release. “Kira is a jack-of-all-trades defender who swings a big bat. She is athletic in every sense of the word and someone we identified immediately that would help elevate our program. Abby is coming off an outstanding season; she was incredibly productive as an ACC performer, and I believe that she can be a dominant force in the Big Ten as well. We look forward to Abby bringing her game experience to Michigan softball. Beyond their talent on the field, both are thoughtful, intelligent women who will give to this Michigan experience.”
While the Zache sisters are less proven at the collegiate level, they didn’t have as many opportunities on the field at Oklahoma with head coach Patti Gasso’s typical star-studded upperclassman lineup. The Sooners were veteran-led and consistently ranked in the top-five nationally throughout the season before falling to Mississippi State in the Super Regionals. The Sooners faced the Wolverines in the Normal Regional Final, but neither Zache appeared in the 8-1 Oklahoma victory. Riley, an infielder and catcher, medically redshirted while recovering from a car accident-induced concussion. It seems she will compete for infield playing time rather than with Ptak and Hastings behind the dish, though.
“I’m just ready for a fresh start with a coaching staff that allows me to showcase my skills,” Riley told the South Bend Tribune. “I want to be an infielder again and they agree with me at Michigan. I just want to use my athleticism to help the team.”
In her nine games for the Sooners in 2025, Riley went 2-for-4 with an RBI and scored three runs. Berkley went 1-0 with 14 strikeouts and a 2.28 ERA in 15.1 innings of relief in a bounce-back year, as she missed her senior season in high school due to a back injury. The sisters won the 2022 Class 3A Indiana State Championship for Saint Joseph High School in South Bend, Ind.
“I’m good health-wise and was 100 percent when I left for college,” Berkley told the South Bend Tribune. “ … I’m just ready to go and continue my legacy near home … (Michigan wants) me to be the pitcher I can be.”
With aspirations of playing professionally, Berkley is excited about the opportunities ahead of her with the Wolverines. In three years at Saint Joseph High School, she went 44-4 while posting a 0.22 ERA, an .063 opponent batting average in 322.1 innings with 55 walks and 714 strikeouts and one home run allowed, while playing two ways with a .407 batting average in 86 games. That’s an astonishing average of over 2.2 strikeouts per inning.
With Hoehn playing two ways for the Wolverines in the circle, it isn’t totally unexpected that Berkley could compete to hit as well, despite not doing so at Oklahoma. National Player of the Year Jordy Frahm (née Bahl) rarely batted for the Sooners before transferring to Nebraska and batting above .400 and recording the first two 20-win, 20-home run seasons. However, Berkley’s focus seems to be in the circle and developing into an ace who could one day go pro.
With a number of departures from the 2025-26 squad, Tholl has aimed to address the critical needs of the roster: filling gaps in the starting infield, along with bolstering the pitching rotation.
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