The 2025 St. Ambrose University Fighting Bees Softball season will kick off with a doubleheader scrimmage against Hawkeye Community College on Saturday, Feb. 1, in the St. Ambrose Dome. This will mark the start of Head Coach John Kelly's third season guiding SAU Softball, and he believes this could be his best team yet over his nine-year college coaching career.

"Our 2025 team is loaded with talent and depth at every position, starting with eight quality pitchers on the staff! We will play with more speed and aggression than our first two years, coupled with an amazing depth of contact, gap and power hitters that should produce an abundance of runs," said Kelly. "Our objective this season is to do every little thing well – allowing us to win the close games we struggled to do in 2023 and 2024. This group has the potential to score early and often with a highly-diversified pitching staff that will show different looks and be able to shut teams down and close out wins."

Head Coach, John Kelly added, "As well, this team is a tight-knit group that plays with a ton of energy and joy. We're all looking for a really fun season ahead!"

Kelly welcomes back 16 returners, including All-CCAC performers Shai Erdrich (graduate student) .364/51 SB, and Becca Haag (sophomore) .343/.468/.546. The Fighting Bees also return two members of the CCAC All-Academic team in Brooke Baker (senior), and Reagan Engberg (junior).

The Fighting Bees welcome 14 incoming freshmen and transfers, including four All-State freshmen: pitcher/outfielder Ada Boysen (Iowa), .406, 39 RBI, 173.2 IP, 321 K; first baseman/third baseman Justice Krus (Ill.); pitcher/infielder Alyssa Lowery (Ill.), P/IF .365/.431/.397, 147.2 IP, 158K; and third baseman/outfielder Parker Leonard (Ill.), .458/.535/.694.

Impact transfers include third baseman/pitcher Kylie Schult (Kirkwood CC), .342/.361/.452; shortstop/third baseman Ellie Downing (Heartland CC), .327/.440/.545, 8 HR, 48 RBI; second baseman/outfielder Brynnlin Kroymann (North Iowa Area CC), .425/.489/.575; and pitcher Allyson Harrold (Spoon River CC), 135.2 IP, 157 K.

The 50-game 2025 season will see the Fighting Bees playing another highly competitive schedule, including games against top NAIA teams in Aquinas, Mount Mercy, Grand View, Northwestern Ohio, Keiser, St. Thomas, as well as top CCAC rivals Saint Xavier and St. Francis. The 2025 season kicks off in the St. Ambrose Dome with three consecutive tournament weekends (Feb. 8-9, Feb. 15, and Feb. 22-23).

The Fighting Bees then swarm into South Florida for 12 games in the sun during spring break week, squaring off against Lawrence Tech, Aquinas, Northwestern Ohio, the University of Fort Lauderdale, Keiser, St. Thomas and Florida National. The CCAC season kicks off at home against new conference member Viterbo University on Mar. 26.

"I'm excited and optimistic heading into the 2025 season," Coach Kelly concludes. "This team will compete every pitch for seven innings every game, and is hungry for a conference championship."