Four Wildcats Named to Heart Softball All-Conference Teams

BALDWIN CITY - After helping lead the team to their fourth straight conference tournament appearance, Baker softball had four players recognized on the 2026 Heart Softball All-Conference Teams, announced by the league on Thursday.

The Wildcats were represented on the All-Heart First Team by junior Ashlee Jackman, while Camrynn Yardley, Rachel Pederson and Gracie Gallagher all earned honorable-mention honors.

Playing in all 50 of BU's games this season, Jackman, a junior from Olathe, Kan., led the team in hits (56), runs (36), doubles (13), home runs (7) and RBI (39) and tied for the team lead with three triples. During a nearly two-month tear, she recorded a hit in 24 of 26 games, including a 16-game hitting streak that stretched the entire month of March.

Pederson, who was the Heart Newcomer of the Year last year, had another excellent spring, hitting over .300 (.319) and tallying nine doubles and triples. The senior from Bentonville, Ark., played in all but one game and registered 15 multi-hit games this season.

Yardley, a junior transfer originally from Derby, Kan., went 9-8 overall and made 22 appearances in the circle, totaling 137 innings, 87 strikeouts and posting a 2.66 ERA. She closed out her first season at BU in incredible fashion, winning six of her last seven starts of the regular season with two of them being shutouts.

In her first season after transferring from Washburn, Gallagher played in all 50 games as the Wildcats' centerfielder and boasted a .329 batting average with eight doubles, two triples and 23 RBI. The senior from Holton, Kan., led BU in stolen bases after going 33-for-36 on attempts.

Baker closed out its 2026 regular season on Friday after falling on the second day of the Heart Championships. This year, the Wildcats went 27-23 overall and 14-14 in conference play and clinched the final spot for the Heart tournament with a victory over MidAmerica Nazarene in the regular-season finale.

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