The Notre Dame softball team did something in 2025 that they had never done since their founding in the 20th century: lose more games than they won. With first-year head coach Kris Ganeff and two key injuries to junior outfielder Mickey Winchell and sophomore utility player Sydny Poeck, the Irish could not have expected much more. They finished 23-31-1, 7-17 in the ACC and did not record a weekend sweep all spring. While the overall body of work was underwhelming, there were enough bright spots to inspire hope for next year, especially with a band of strong returners, talented incoming freshmen and a more experienced coaching staff.
Notre Dame entered the year having lost legendary veteran Deanna Gumpf, the winningest coach in the history of the university’s athletics program, along with three of their best four hitters by batting average from 2024’s squad. They knew runs would need to come from new sources, which became even clearer when Winchell and Poeck went down with season-ending injuries.
“We needed to kind of revamp our offense,” Ganeff told The Observer in an interview. “We had to work at an individual level for each kid and really try to get them to get their swings to where they were starting to feel good, and get them back to a position of hitting for some power… So that took a little bit of time.”
One player who lived up to the hype was Addison Amaral. The sophomore infielder transitioned from second base to shortstop after her successful freshman year and thrived even more, both at the plate and in the field. Amaral was named to the All-ACC Third Team after leading the Irish in nearly every offensive category, including batting average (.366), slugging percentage (.614), home runs (nine) and runs batted in (43). The closest behind her in the RBI category was senior catcher Rachel Allen with 24.
“I think she’s the face of our program, right?” Ganeff said. “You couldn’t ask for a better player and a better teammate.”
Ganeff was impressed with Amaral’s ability to be a role model for freshmen as an underclassman herself. One of those freshmen, who clearly learned a lot, was third baseman Caroline O’Brien. O’Brien started the year slowly, but eventually served as Ganeff’s everyday leadoff hitter and finished the regular season with a .340 batting average in ACC play, just behind Amaral and a whole .050 above the third-place Allen.
“She has this spunk and personality about her,” Ganeff said of the first-year infielder. “She’s doing a really nice job just figuring it out, so I’m really proud of her.”
In the circle, the Irish struck out 320 opposition hitters throughout their 55 games, good for second in the ACC. 146 of those came against conference team, the most among the fifteen familiar foes. Three pitchers had at least 70 Ks – breakout freshman lefty Brianne Weiss (70), consistent sophomore Kami Kazik (82) and flamethrowing postseason starter, junior Micaela Kastor (120). Kastor pitched brilliantly in the final loss on Wednesday, May 7, a 2-0 defeat to North Carolina. The loss eliminated Notre Dame from ACC Tournament contention and officially wrapped up a second consecutive season without an NCAA tournament berth. Kastor threw six innings and only allowed two runs, both in the fourth inning. She struck out three and ceded only four hits in her fifth complete game of the campaign. The junior knows there is still more to give next year, however, as she embarks on her final year in an Irish uniform.
“I want to lead the ACC in strikeouts and carry one of the top five lowest ERAs in the conference,” Kastor told The Observer in an interview. “That’s something that has been on my pin board for senior year.”
The talent is there for the Simi Valley, California, product. Kastor pitched to a 0.51 earned run average with 251 strikeouts in her final year at Oaks Christian High School and posted a very solid 2.67 ERA in 86.1 innings as a freshman. Although her ERA has trended in the wrong direction, Kastor remains confident. Performances like the postseason outing against UNC are good reasons to believe.
“My success in the circle comes from my confidence and the energy my infield gives me,” Kastor said. “My most successful games are the ones where I am jumping around the field. I’m screaming. I’m very animated on the mound, which I know works for me.”
She will have to be a key piece if Notre Dame wants to get back above .500 in 2026. She will be part of a staff that includes two incoming freshmen to replace senior Shannon Becker and graduate Alexis Laudenslager. The offense will pick up reinforcements as well in what Kris Ganeff described as a “really good freshman class,” where “all of them could potentially be starters at one point.” There is reason to be excited about Notre Dame softball next year, despite their underwhelming 2025. A return to 30 wins is well within reach.
