SOUTH BEND, Ind. – The University of Notre Dame softball team begins a new era Friday morning in Clearwater, Florida, as Kris Ganeff takes over control of the program that she once played for and aided since 2002.
Ganeff is at the helm to start her 24th season coaching the Irish. Only the fourth coach in program history, she has been a part of 882 wins with Notre Dame, including 21 NCAA Regionals appearances and 11 conference titles.
‘Here Come the Irish’. A motto to define this new era of Notre Dame Softball and a motto that has been engraved since the start of the school year. The standards have been raised and the rise of competition and work ethic have followed.
Season Preview
Position Players
The Irish return six players who made at least 39 starts last season in the field and add six newcomers to the roster. There’s plenty of opportunity and competition up and down a motivated roster.
Infield
Addison Amaral comes into 2025 coming off a breakout freshman campaign. The Salinas, California native hit .340 and slugged a team-leading 10 home runs, 15 doubles and 53 RBI last year, becoming the first freshman to lead the Irish in RBI since 2007. The sophomore middle infielder was named to the Softball American Preseason Top 100 List and the D1 Softball Top-10 Second Base Rankings in January. Senior Anna Holloway, who played alongside Amaral for all fifty games last year, create an experienced duo up the middle for the Irish. Two incoming freshmen, Caitlyn Early and Avery Houlihan, have shined since arriving on campus and will compete for opportunities at the middle infield positions.
With a gap at first base following the graduation of former ACC Player of the Year Karina Gaskins, both sophomore Sydny Poeck and freshman Kaia Cortes could see time over at the corner. Poeck saw limited action last year, playing in five games and scoring a run, while Cortes comes in after a decorated high school career in Tampa and will look to make her collegiate debut in her hometown this weekend. Paige Cowley, who can both pitch and play first for the Irish, will also impact the team in a multitude of ways.
The Irish will also have to fill third base this spring. Sophomore Olivia Leavitt and freshman Caroline O’Brien will be vying for time at the hot corner. Leavitt comes into the season a year maturer while O’Brien’s glove and base running ability should vault her into different plug-and-play scenarios for Notre Dame.
Rachel Allen will…