CHICAGO, Ill. -- North Park Softball enters the 2026 season with a roster built largely around a returning core who contributed significant pop and plate appearances in 2025. The program retains all-conference players in seniors Eden Baker (P/OF) and Kayla Lorenz (SS), ready to lead an offense of veteran Vikings.
Baker remains pivotal to North Park's offense and has slotted in as a starting pitcher these past two years. Across the 2025 season, Baker appeared in 24 games - hampered by an early injury - and recorded a .338 batting average with 25 hits in 74 at-bats. Her offensive production included 12 runs scored, four doubles, two triples, seven runs batted in, and six stolen bases. She also maintained a .446 slugging percentage and a .351 on-base percentage while striking out only seven times. In addition to her role as a leadoff hitter and starting center fielder, Baker contributed as a rotational pitcher. She posted a 4.71 ERA with four wins, spinning four complete games across her nearly 36 innings of work. She fanned 30 batters and her opponents hit just .220 off her, not allowing a home run all season.
Lorenz also returns following a 2025 season in which she started all 38 games and produced the strongest slash line on the roster. She finished the season with a .359 batting average, compiling 42 hits in 117 at-bats. She added 23 runs scored, 12 doubles, four triples, one home run, and 29 runs batted in, supported by a .556 slugging percentage and a .438 on-base percentage. The playmaking captain of the infield cracked five doubles and a pair of triples in CCIW play and fielded .963 on the conference season with 45 assists. Lorenz enters her final season already in the top 10 of many all-time categories at NPU: fourth in RBI (78), third in triple (10, alongside Baker), eighth in total bases (181), and 9th in slugging % (.529).
The Vikings also return multiple starters across the field who contributed steady offensive numbers throughout the previous season.
Senior outfielder Sydney Snyder started all 38 games and compiled a .336 average with 38 hits and 23 runs driven in. She struck out just 12 times in 113 at-bats, cracking six doubles and a home run to contribute to an .801 OPS.
Multi-sport athlete senior Kathryn Keehn started 38 games as well and produced 37 hits, 26 runs batted in, and eight doubles. Keehn is a three-year starting infielder for the Vikings, enjoying a career slugging % of .423 with 96 hits, 58 RBI, and 23 doubles.
Senior infielder Salyssa Garcia added 10 hits and five doubles over 23 games in an injury-hampered season, while junior Bella Frohwirth recorded 27 hits and 16 runs batted in across 38 starts. First baseman and catcher Dora Cihocki recorded 15 hits, including three doubles and one home run, and catcher Katie Patton added 19 hits and 12 runs batted in while appearing in 37 games. Outfielder Kaylie Pereira enjoyed a strong freshman season by earning 33 starts and 64 at-bats last season. She carried an on-base percentage of .372 and collected 15 hits, adding three assists from the outfield. Additionally, fellow freshman LilyAnn Lutz was leaned on to provide late pop in 2025 as a pinch hitter. She scored three runs, drove in as many, and cracked a pair of doubles and looks to contribute more frequently this season.
North Park brings back three pitchers who saw time in the circle last season, providing continuity to the staff. Alongside Baker's workload, pitcher Katelyn Meyer made 15 appearances and logged 19.1 innings in her freshman season, limiting opponents to a .288 batting average. Fellow freshman Raquel Hare made 17 appearances and contributed both as a pitcher and utility option during her first collegiate season. She led the team with nine complete games, 74.1 innings of work, and six wins last year, punching out 19 batters.
Another large recruiting class from 12th-year head coach Katie Anderson will certainly contribute this season, as 10 new Vikings enter their first year of collegiate softball.
The Vikings have a non-traditional opening to their season, sneaking in a home date before heading down south for their annual participation in the Dot Richardson Spring Games. North Park officially opens the 2026 campaign in Chicago on Friday, February 27, against Hope College. First pitch for game one at the Holmgren Athletic Complex is set for 3:00 PM CT.
