New Mizzou Tiger Mya Dodge was the Missouri Valley Conference Player of the Year in 2023 and the league’s Freshman of the Year in 2022. (Photo courtesy: Mizzou Athletics)

Nora Nichols
Staff Writer

COLUMBIA, MO — The University of Missouri athletics department announced on Wednesday that it had made a major addition to the women’s softball program.

Standout transfer Mya Dodge will be joining the Mizzou softball team next season. Dodge played at Northern Iowa the last two seasons and proved herself as one of the top players in the country.

Last season, the 5-foot-6 outfielder from Hiawatha, Iowa, was named the Missouri Valley Conference Player of the Year, after leading the Panthers in nearly every offensive category, including OPS (1.363), slugging (.899), home runs (17), triples (5), and RBIs (68). The RBI total broke the school record, which had previously been set at 59 during the 2009 season.

The 2023 season was Dodge’s second straight as an all-MVC performer. She was first team last year and second team in 2022, when she led Northern Iowa and was the MVC Freshman of the Year after putting up a team-best .373 batting average, 57 hits, 43 runs scored, and 21 stolen bases.

Over two seasons with UNI, Dodge helped the Panthers capture two Missouri Valley Conference Regular-Season titles. She appeared in 94 total games (92 starts), batting .380 (.452 on-base percentage and .798 slugging percentage) with 102 RBI, 111 hits and 30 home runs.

Dodge secured four MVC Weekly honors (newcomer twice in 2022 and player twice in 2023) over her two years at UNI.

Dodge will have three years of eligibility remaining when she joins the Tigers for summer practice next month.