Back to the Bay: Taryn Kern announces transfer to Stanford
STANFORD, Calif. (BVM) — Former Indiana Hoosier freshman softball standout and Big Ten Player of the Year Taryn Kern announced her decision to transfer to Stanford on Tuesday.
“Back to the Bay,” the sophomore stated in a tweet.
Back to the bay. 🌲♥️🤍 pic.twitter.com/DbS2xbraGY
— taryn kern (@tarynkern2022) July 18, 2023
Kern is originally from San Jose which is 35 minutes away without traffic and played travel ball for Warrior Academy which is based out of San Mateo, roughly 30 minutes from the university.
“To be close to home, competing athletically and academically at the highest level is everything I could have ever asked for in my new home,” she continued.
Kern will make an immediate impact for the Cardinal. She should slide into a middle infield spot vacated by the graduation of Emily Young.
The All-American second baseman was on top of the Big Ten leaderboard in eight offensive categories: slugging percentage (.942), home runs (23), RBI (68), walks (45), hit by pitch (23), runs scored (68), on-base percentage (.578) and OPS (1.520).
In comparison, Stanford slugged .394 and hit 26 home runs as a team. The highest individual stats from last year’s Cardinal team to compare to Kern are Aly Kaneshiro’s 40 RBIs and Taylor Gindlesperger’s 40 runs scored. Nobody on the team had more than seven home runs.
“Taryn’s on-field accolades speak for themselves, and it became abundantly clear the more time we spent with her that she would be an excellent fit in the clubhouse as well,” Stanford head coach Jessica Allister said in a statement posted on Stanford softball’s Twitter account. “There is no question Taryn will play a significant role in our quest to bring Stanford softball’s first Women’s College World Series Championship back to The Farm.”
When Taryn Kern entered the transfer portal in early June, she sent shockwaves throughout college athletics. How could the nation’s best freshman decide to leave Indiana and where will she go?
Kern gave a big hint with a tweet on Sunday. The red and white hearts really narrowed down her options.
year 2 loading :)… ♥️🤍
— taryn kern (@tarynkern2022) July 17, 2023
Kern, who is coming off a record-setting season in Bloomington, was named a second-team All-American by the National Fastpitch Coaches Association and is the highest-ranked transfer by D1 Softball and College Sports Evaluation.
🗣️🗣️🗣️@JessicaAllister x @tarynkern2022 #GoStanford pic.twitter.com/Ud0EusU6o5
— Stanford Softball (@StanfordSball) July 18, 2023
The Cardinal made a statement at the Women’s College World Series by taking Oklahoma to extra innings in the semifinals and freshman pitcher NiJaree Canady proved why she is the future of the sport.
While Kern doesn’t have the experience of playing in the WCWS like her new teammates, she is joining a young team with its sights set on a return to Oklahoma City.
The future of Stanford softball is bright and Kern will only make the lineup stronger.
