For most graduating seniors, the plan is simple: cross the stage, find a job and get to work. 

Maryland softball’s senior shortstop Sammi Woods has a slightly different plan. The Terps’ best hitter has another year of eligibility, but she will not be playing softball and will be leaving Maryland. 

Woods has an offer to play NCAA flag football and plans to enter the transfer portal to play the sport for her final collegiate season. The schools will remain unnamed to maintain the integrity of Woods’ recruiting process, per Maryland softball’s request. 

“I just recently got the offer a couple months ago, and found it out because my friend is the one who started the flag club team,” Woods said. “But [the school is] basically going to be, [the school] and [another school] are going to be the main flag schools for women next year.” 

Woods’ flag football journey

Woods has played quarterback in flag football since she was nine years old. She played at a youth camp called Elite 11 during her senior year of high school before receiving an invitation to another flag event –  the Junior International Cup. Recently, Woods missed Maryland softball’s series against Indiana to participate in USA Flag Football’s Olympic Trials.

The senior’s participation is made possible by the NCAA’s addition of flag football to its Emerging Sports for Women program in January 2026. The addition means collegiate teams will start playing under NCAA guidelines in the 2026-27 academic year. 

She would be among the first student-athletes to play flag football at a university. But she can’t approach it the same way she did softball, spending four years with her program of choice.

According to NCAA regulations, student-athletes may compete in a second NCAA-sanctioned sport for only one season after fulfilling their four years of eligibility in their first sport. 

That is what Woods plans to do with flag football. She will only play the sport at the collegiate level for one season. 

“Before I got the scholarship for flag, I was looking into playing overseas in Australia for a little bit, and then in the Europe league, because it’s pretty easy to get picked up as a power four [softball] player,” Woods said.

A relationship with Maryland’s coaching staff

Although her time at Maryland is ending, Woods expressed gratitude to the coaching staff for their understanding of her flag journey. 

Woods joined the Terps in 2023, one year before Maryland hired current head coach Lauren Karn. 

The shortstop revealed that she received an invitation to the 2024 Olympic Trials during her first season with Karn, but never told the coaches. Her commitment to softball trumped any flag-related commitments. 

That changed in 2026. Woods felt comfortable enough with coach Karn to discuss missing a series to attend the trials — and she did. 

“She’s one of the most understanding coaches I’ve ever played for,” Woods said of Karn. “I was scared going into telling her I was going to miss a series, but we talked about it. So it worked out.”

How loyalty brought excellence

In softball, Woods struggled in her sophomore season. But hard work helped her flourish as a leader on the field and in the dugout.

Despite the struggles, Woods has improved each year under Karn, who was hired before her sophomore season. After batting .255 as a freshman, the shortstop regressed to .196 as a sophomore. 

But Woods has steadily improved since and ended her senior year batting .345 — her career best. 

“Sammi has really stepped up in a big way for our team overall, not just from a stats standpoint, but she’s really wanting to be the best softball player and teammate and make a lasting impact here at Maryland.” Karn said, “She’s been loyal to our program, which has been greatly appreciated by my staff and I.” 

Woods’ leadership

Teammates have noticed Woods’ loyalty turning into leadership in her final season.  Junior outfielder Caitlyn Cornwell said that Woods is Maryland’s “true leader.” 

In home games, there is an energy about her at-bats that no other Maryland batter can recreate. It’s as if both Maryland and their opponent understand Woods’ talent despite the rest of the teams’ issues. Players and coaches in both dugouts clearly respect her. 

“She leads everything, she leads a warm-up, but relays the information, holds everyone accountable, keeping everything in place,” Cornwell said. “[Woods] is the one that everyone goes to if they have an issue. She’s the person that people are like, alright, this is our girl.”

As a quarterback, Woods’ knack for leadership will be valuable. This will be helpful because Woods’ main commitment over the past four years has been softball, not flag football. She hasn’t spent as much time on the sport compared to other players.

“They’re really awesome, but I lack so much experience compared to them,” Woods said. “I love flag football. But these girls have been playing in college, in the NAIA, in other leagues, it’s their whole life and they’re really good. I’ve been blessed with great natural talent to have me compete with them, but they’re always teaching me.” 

Because of her leadership, Karn fully believes that Woods can use her intangible skills to move forward. 

“I think it’s important for her going into flag football that she finds her leadership self in the same way that she found it in softball,” Karn said. “She can lead herself and trust herself and push herself past her limits without feeling like she has to act in a certain way.”