OREM, Utah — Utah Valley softball head coach Cody Thomson has announced the signing of GCU transfer utility player and Utah native Ellie Pond as part of his 2026 recruiting class.

Pond, who hails from Providence, Utah, was a key contributor for the 2026 Mountain West Champions, helping lead the Lopes to their fifth-straight NCAA Tournament appearance and their second regional final in the last three seasons. Pond appeared in 55 games with 42 starts as a sophomore, hitting .303 with nine home runs and 33 RBIs, both of which were fifth-most in a stacked lineup that won 54 games.

Prior to GCU, Pond played her freshman season just up the road at Salt Lake CC, where she was teammates with fellow Wolverine Paige Shumway. Pond led the Bruins in almost every major offensive category, hitting 21 home runs to go with 72 RBIs, 16 doubles, 28 stolen bases, and a whopping 1.134 slugging percentage to earn second team All-America honors. Pond played her high school softball at Ridgeline HS in Cache Valley, where she was a two-time state champion in 4A and a three-time first team All-State honoree. 

Pond joins a strong 2026 recruiting class that includes nine incoming freshmen. The Wolverines will have a good mixture of youth and experience next season, as the team graduated eight seniors and six starters, but will return four players who earned All-WAC honors and two starters from the 2025 season that missed most of the 2026 campaign due to injury.