CEDAR FALLS — UNI softball received a piece of preseason recognition on Thursday morning, as redshirt senior pitcher Samantha Heyer was ranked No. 91 in D1Softball’s 2024 Preseason D100 Player Rankings.
Heyer enters 2024 looking to replicate a stellar 2023 campaign that saw her win Missouri Valley Conference (MVC) Pitcher of the Year, make both First Team All-MVC and the MVC All-Tournament Team as well as earn a spot on the National Fastpitch Coaches Association Second Team All-Region. Heyer compiled a 23-5 record, setting a program record for total wins in the process, and a 1.61 ERA in 170 total innings pitched.
She also set a program record with 11.0 strikeouts per game and posted a career-high 17 strikeouts against Valparaiso on April 28, 2023. Heyer won MVC Pitcher of the Week on six occasions last season.
Thursday’s selection marked Heyer’s first appearance on the publication’s top-100 list, which are compiled before and after each season. It also continues a trend of Panthers receiving national recognition, as Alexis Pupillo (No. 53) and former Panther Mya Dodge (No. 74) closed the 2023 season on D1Softball’s top 100 list.
Heyer and the Panthers are less than a month away from beginning the 2024 season at the Doc Halverson UNI-Dome Classic. UNI opens the event at 2 p.m. on Friday, Feb. 9 against Western Illinois.
