Hefel, Gatto, Holtam, and LeDuff earn All-Heart honors for 2025
KANSAS CITY, Mo. - Following their best team season from a win-loss perspective since 2017, the Clarke University softball team had four student-athletes named to the 2025 All Heart of America Athletic Conference teams on Friday afternoon.
Those four members of the Pride included a First Team selection for freshman Lauren Hefel, a Second Team honor for sophomore Meredith Gatto, and Honorable Mention slots for juniors Kaylie Holtam and Kennedi LeDuff.
Hefel, an outfielder from Asbury, Iowa, stood out at the plate in her first collegiate season, finishing with the top batting average among qualified members of the CU roster at .336 while slugging .469 with 17 doubles, tied for the fourth-most doubles in a season by any Clarke softball player. Hefel also led the team with 30 runs batted in, tied for 15th in the Heart, as she finished the season with 43 hits in 128 at bats with 15 runs scored and almost walking as much as she struck out with 11 free passes to just 13 strikeouts.
Gatto, a pitcher from Dubuque, took a major lead forward in her sophomore season in the circle, breaking the Clarke program record for strikeouts in a season as she capped off her record breaking season with 156 strikeouts, which currently sits at 20th in the NAIA while the postseason continues and sits at fifth in the Heart. Gatto also produced a 3.17 ERA in 137 innings pitched while posting a 1.19 WHIP and also having the best strikeouts per seven innings mark in Pride softball history at almost eight per game with a final average of 7.97.
Holtam, a Moline, Ill. native, made the transition from serving as CU's primary left fielder as a freshman and softball to her more natural position of third base to receive her first All-Heart selection in her career. Usually batting out of the leadoff spot in the order, Holtam finished 2025 with a .286/.333/.368 slashline with 38 hits in 133 at bats with 11 doubles, 14 RBIs, and 16 runs scored.
LeDuff, an Aurora, Colo. native, spent time as the Pride's primary DP or getting some run at first base to finish her first real season of significant time in the lineup at a .280/.370/.312 slash line with 26 hits, one home run, and 11 RBIs to close out her junior season.
Full Heart Release: https://heart.prestosports.com/sports/sball/2024-25/releases/20250502m3h5xi
Clarke softball's 23-23 record, as previously mentioned, sets a new best win total for CU under head coach Garland Shirley and gives them their first .500 or better season since the 2017 season, not including a 2-0 record in the COVID-19 shortened 2020 year.