LAS CRUCES, N.M. – New Mexico State softball head coach Kathy Rodolph announced Cat Heifner as the associate head coach for NM State softball. Heifner previously served as the assistant coach in charge of hitting at Minnesota during the 2018 season. Before her time with the Golden Gophers, she spent 14 season with New Mexico State softball.
"I'm excited to have Cat back with Aggie Softball," Rodolph said. "In my opinion, she is one of the best hitting coaches in the country. She is a huge asset to our program as her scope of knowledge goes way beyond just hitting."
During the Gophers 2018 campaign, Heifner helped guide the team to a 41-17 overall record, a 17-4 record in Big Ten play, a Big Ten tournament title and an NCAA regional appearance. The offense for the Gophers posted a league-best .333 batting average, a .565 slugging percentage, and a .433 on-base percentage in conference play. Against league opponents, the team also led the Big Ten in runs scored (154), hits (191), and runs batted in (139).
Heifner developed Kendyl Lindaman into a National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA) All-American during the catcher's sophomore campaign. Nationally, Lindaman closed out the season ranked fifth in walks (0.95), eighth in home runs (20), 10th in homers per game (0.34) and 16th in slugging percentage (.832).
No stranger to the Aggie program, Heifner helped New Mexico State to four Western Athletic Conference regular-season titles and three WAC tournament titles. She coached three WAC Freshman of the Year honorees including Kelsey Horton, who was also a Top-10 finalist for the Schutt Sports / NFCA National Freshman of the Year award. Under Heifner's guidance, the Aggies also won five-straight WAC Player of the Year accolades.
In 2017 alone, Heifner guided NM State's offense to rank ninth nationally in batting average (.325) and 10th in both on-base percentage (.414) and slugging percentage (.501). New Mexico State was also 16th in scoring (5.93), 23rd in doubles per game (1.48) and 25th in home runs per game (0.96). In addition to the national rankings, the Aggies finished first among WAC teams in batting average, slugging percentage, on-base percentage, home runs (52), RBI (294), runs scored (320), and stolen bases (65).
Heifner coached New Mexico State to one of the best statistical seasons in program history in 2015 when NM State swept the conference regular season and tournament titles. The Aggies broke multiple school records including wins (47), winning percentage (.746), runs (465), hits (589), home runs (103), doubles (100), RBIs (436), total bases (1,020), walks (283), team batting average (.348), slugging percentage (.602) and on-base percentage (.445).
In 2011, Heifner helped guide the Crimson and White to its first NCAA Tournament. The team closed out the season ranked fifth nationally in slugging percentage (.551) and its 6.93 runs per game also ranked fifth in the country while the 1.34 home runs per game ranked sixth. Under Heifner's guidance, Hoku Nohara was as the NCAA statistical champion for home runs per game (0.43) and slugging percentage (1.007) that season. Nohara blasted, at the time, the single-season record of 24 home runs for the year. Nohara also set the NM State and WAC career home run record at 64.
Heifner led NM State to one of its biggest accomplishments when the softball team capped the 2009 season ranked first in the nation with a .341 batting average. It was the first time any WAC team led the country in the category. It was also a WAC single-season record for the Aggies and tied the 1998 Fresno State team for the highest team batting average in conference history. Additionally, NM State was also ranked seventh in scoring (6.09) and slugging percentage (.543) and also 10th in home runs per game (1.26) that season.
The Aggies look to keep their crown in 2019 as the team won its fourth-straight WAC regular-season title in 2018. New Mexico State also earned its fourth NCAA Tournament berth by taking home its second-straight WAC Tournament title last season.
