I know we all like to say Mike was complacent last offseason, but we had some of the most returning positional player production in the entire country:
Reese
Mitchell
Goode
Vivi
Scott
Stewie
Maloney
Henry
That would have been your starting offense/defense. Nobody was going to transfer here to sit behind a top 3 NPOY finisher, a super senior, a stud sophomore SS, stud 3B, stud sophomores in Stewie and Henry and an everyday OF starter in Maloney.
Vivi's injury happened in the fall - unless you found a grad transfer (a la Dolcini) who could enroll super late, we were screwed from the moment Vivi got hurt. There was only one potential fall transfer SS I can recall and that was Ariel Kowalewski, who was not eligible to play for an SEC school. She chose to go to aggy and redshirt instead. Would not have helped us.
The only positional battle a transfer might have given us was at 2nd, maybe, but Goode was an everyday starter there as a freshman.
I know we went after Canady (bc duh, you have to), but we had 2 pitchers returning who had over 100 innings and a third with 93. I think if we went after a lefty specialist (wish we had), it would have probably led to Sophia transferring with Cam coming in. Not a lot of teams are going to keep 6 pitchers in this day and age.
Mike has a lot more wiggle room this offseason due to graduation:
You have to replace 1st and 3rd (Joley and Mia)
You have to replace Mac and Sophia
You have to replace two of your DPs (Katie C and Quiroga)
I fully expect Mike to grab corner infielder (or two) and a pitcher. Crabtree, Lawson and Nichols will push for 1st or battle Goode for 2nd and Wells is a stud. Sneed can play LF if Stewie moves over to third.