Heidelbauer and Steen named Academic All-Americans
AUSTIN, Texas - Megan Heidelbauer and Ashlyn Steen of Simpson softball added to their already impressive postseason accolades, earning a spot on the College Sports Communicators (CSC) Academic All-American First Team on Tuesday.
This marks the 10th and 11th time the softball program has been recognized with Academic All-American honors in team history. The pair are the first to earn the honor since former teammate Maddie Luderman did so in 2023.
Heidelbauer, a junior from Marion, Iowa is an environmental science major with a staggering 3.92 GPA while Steen, a junior from Mount Vernon, Iowa is a political science major with a near-perfect 3.96 GPA.
The postseason awards continue to roll for the duo. Heidelbauer was recently recognized as an NFCA Second Team All-American, a Rawlings Gold Glove winner, the A-R-C Position Player of the Year, and CSC Academic All-District selection. The first baseman led the Storm with a .497/.560/.993 slash line with 15 home runs, a record-setting 68 RBIs and 15 stolen bases.
Joining Heidelbauer on the NFCA All-American team was Steen, earning a third team selection along with all-region honors, A-R-C First Team All-Conference, and CSC Academic All-District. Leading off for the Storm all season, Steen put together a remarkable campaign that featured a .479/..548/.733 slash line with 22 extra base hits, 34 RBIs and a team-leading 28 stolen bases.
Simpson as a team finished 34-9 overall, winning a share of the A-R-C regular season title and returned to the NCAA regional where the Storm reached the regional final after collecting two wins over DePauw in the tournament.
Simpson Softball Academic All-Americans
2025 — Megan Heidelbauer, 1st team
2025 — Ashlyn Steen, 1st team
2023 — Maddie Luderman, 1st team
2018 — Ashley Allen, 2nd team
2005 — Kate Brandt, 1st team
2004 — Kate Brandt, 2nd team
1999 — Kelly Schade, 1st team
1998 — Kelly Schade, 1st team
1997 — Kelly Schade, 2nd team
1990 — Michelle Bottorff, 3rd team
1990 — Janel Yilek, 3rd team
