Mizzou softball added another arm to its roster on Saturday, landing Arizona State transfer Mary Peyton Hodge, a left-handed pitcher from Winston Salem, N.C., and Oak Grove High School.
Head coach Larissa Anderson said the Tigers are getting a pitcher with real upside.
“We’re excited to welcome Mary Peyton Hodge to Mizzou,” Anderson said. “She was one of the most highly regarded pitchers in her recruiting class, and we’re thrilled she has chosen our program for the next chapter of her career. She has tremendous talent, and we’re looking forward to providing the environment, coaching, and daily opportunities for her to continue developing into the pitcher we know she can become.”
Peyton Hodge arrives in Columbia as a sophomore after spending her first college season at Arizona State. She appeared in 11 games for the Sun Devils, starting two, and finished 2-1 with a 5.88 ERA. In 25 innings, she struck out 16 batters.
Her freshman year also included a spot on the D1 Softball Freshman Watch List at the start of the 2026 season.
Peyton Hodge’s debut came against Portland State, when she worked a scoreless inning in a 20-2 win. Her first start followed against Pacific, and she covered four innings while allowing one earned run in a victory. She later made another start in a win over Eastern Illinois, and she also turned in a hitless inning of relief against UNLV.
She is the fourth transfer Mizzou has added this summer, joining Tyah Charlton from Georgia, Jana Want from Middle Tennessee and Nealy Lamb from South Carolina.
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