About Stephanie: Is the daughter of Joe and Cathy Hayden...has one sister, Nicole, who played college softball for two years at Luther College...her mother played college softball at Iowa State University.
High School Highlights: Stephanie earned Honorable Mention honors in 2008 and First Team All-Conference honors in 2010 and 2011. She also was All-District in 2010 and 2011 as well as First Team All-State. She was an All-Star Game Participant in 2011. Stephanie was a five-year letter winner in softball and also lettered in volleyball (2 years), basketball (3 years), and track (4 years).
College Highlights:
2015: Steph started all 39 games and was an Honorable Mention All-IIAC performer as she made the transition into shortstop for the season. She finished the year ranked second on the team in average (.333) and doubles (12), while leading the way in runs (34) and stolen bases (17). She finished with a career-high 135 at-bats and struck out a career-low seven times. Her 17 stolen bases were two off of a career-high. Turned in a season-high three hits against both UW-Eau Claire on March 1 and Grinnell College on April 28. She finished the year with 11 multi-hit games. The game against the Pioneers was her final career home game and she went 3-for-4 with a double, triple, two RBI and three runs scored. Following the year, she earned First Team Capital One Academic All-District accolades for the second straight season and was selected to the Academic All-IIAC team for the third straight time.
2014: She played in all 36 games and led the team offensively with 122 at-bats and a .475 batting average. That mark also ranked her second in the IIAC, along with her 19 stolen bases, which also set a new single-season BVU record. She also led the team with 28 runs scored and tied for second with 17 RBI. She had at least one hit in all but six games on the year. One of her best outings, was during the team''s home doubleheader against Central when she combined to go 7-for-7 with a home run, four RBI and three runs scored. That helped the team snap a 20-game losing streak to the Dutch. Following the year, she was named a First Team All-IIAC and All-Region selection, while also earned Academic All-IIAC accolades and becoming an Academic All-American.
2013: She led the team and finished 12th in the Iowa Conference with a .368 batting average. Her 39 hits were also a team-high, including seven doubles. She drove in 14 runs and scored 19 times, while tying for the team-lead with eight stolen bases. She went 4-for-4 with a double, two RBI and four runs scored against SUNY Purchase. She hit safely in 11 of the team''s final 14 games of the year. Following the year, she was tabbed as a Second Team All-IIAC selection and a CoSIDA Academic All-District performer.
2012: She started all 33 games in which she appeared and finished second on the team in average, hits and stolen bases. She was third in runs scored and tied for the lead in walks. She had five games with at least three hits, including a 3-for-3 contest with a triple, two RBI and three runs scored in the finale against the University of Dallas on March 4.
Aside from athletics, she has also served as Vice-President of Promotions for the Buena Vista Marketing Association the past three years and is currently serving as the Treasurer for the Alumni Association Student Board.
