Oregon softball head coach Melyssa Lombardi added catcher Karissa Ornelas as a transfer from the University of Central Florida, as announced by UO on Tuesday, July 13.
A native of Murrieta, California, Ornelas returns to the West Coast with valuable experience.
Ornelas has been at UCF for three seasons, where she earned a career batting average of .314 and an on-base percentage of .387 during her 103 starts. She has six total career home runs, 14 doubles and 51 runs batted in.
Ornelas batted .299 in 2021 and was also named to the American Athletic Conference second-team after batting .299 — including five home runs and 20 RBIs. She also threw 10 runners out, good for second in the AAC.
Her signature moment came on March 5, 2021, when she hit a walk-off homer against the fifth ranked Florida Gators to push UCF into the NCAA Tallahassee Regional final.
Ornelas experienced her breakout season in 2020, batting .387 and leading the Golden Knights to a 21-5-1 record and No. 21 ranking before COVID-19 shortened the season.
Ornelas will join Cal State Fullerton transfer KK Humphreys, who transferred to Oregon on June 29. Humphreys, an infielder, was selected to the All-Big West first team in her 2021 freshman season.
With the loss of important 2021 contributors like Haley Cruse, Maddie Hopper and Shaye Bowden, Lombardi is choosing to reload the 2022 roster with known commodities.
The Ducks, who finished ranked 10th in the nation last year before losing to Texas in a controversial Super Regional, look to build on their success in 2022.
