Transburg, Hefel, and Holtam earn All-Heart honors for 2026 performance
As the first day of the Heart of America Athletic Conference Tournament gets underway, the Clarke University softball team had three members of their team named as All Conference honorees on Thursday afternoon.
CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa - As the first day of the Heart of America Athletic Conference Tournament gets underway, the Clarke University softball team had three members of their team named as All Conference honorees on Thursday afternoon.
For Holtam and Hefel, they earn their second-straight postseason recognition as 2026 Honorable Mention selections with Transburg receiving a Second Team At-Large nod for her first career All-Heart honor in her first season seeing significant playing time.
Transburg, a junior from Chugiak, Alaska, split her time in the Pride lineup between DP and catcher to finish with a slashline (AVG/OBP/SLG) of .341/.410/.488 while tying for the team lead in home runs with three as well as recording 44 hits, 10 doubles, 24 RBIs, 16 runs, and walking more times than striking out on the season with 15 free passes to just seven punchouts. Her biggest home run of the three came on Clarke's Senior Day when Transburg walked off William Woods University with two outs in a two-strike count in the bottom of the seventh with the score 3-1 in favor of the Owls as she hit a three-run shot to left center to win the game. In 47 games played, there were only 10 instances where Transburg did not reach base either via a hit or a walk at least one time while also recording five different three-hit games over the season.
Hefel, a sophomore from Asbury, Iowa, earns her second All-Heart selections in as many seasons as CU's starting right fielder improved in almost every stat category from her First Team 2025 season in 2026 with a slashline of .353/.431/.513 while tying Transburg for the team lead at three home runs as well, her first three collegiate home runs while also finishing with 53 hits, 15 doubles, 31 RBIs, 25 runs, 17 walks, and seven stolen bases, all improvements over 2025 except for the doubles total. In the 28 games she played in the Heart of the 50 total games in her entire season, Hefel's slashline finished at .360/.402/.494, nearly identical to her season splits nine of her 15 doubles and 15 of her 31 RBIs coming against Heart opponents.
Holtam, a senior from Moline, Ill., produced back-to-back All-Heart seasons after transitioning from the outfield to third base for her final two years as the primary leadoff hitter for Clarke finished her 2026 season at a .341/.367/.418 slashline while leading the Pride with 58 hits and 32 runs scored while tying for the team lead at two triples and adding nine doubles, 22 RBIs, and another team-high with 14 stolen bases on 16 attempts. The ball was in play constantly when Holtam was up to bat, only striking out eight times in 182 plate appearances and being walked or hit by a pitch a combined eight times all year as she produced 15 multi-hit games in her 49 games played over the 2026 season.
Full Heart All-Conference Release: https://heart.prestosports.com/sports/sball/2025-26/releases/20260430ul4lv4
Clarke softball finished their 2026 season at 24-26 overall and 13-15 in the Heart with both Transburg and Hefel to highlight the returners to the Pride lineup for 2027 along with a strong returning trio in the circle.