SAN FRANCISCO – Able to play more than 50 games for the first time since 2018, Academy of Art softball highlighted its 2022 campaign, the second under Head Coach Nikki Gentile, with dramatic late-inning victories, new program records, and the triumphant finale to several memorable Urban Knight careers.

Early February marked the beginning of the season as ART U could be found competing against various West Region opponents in Irvine for the Concordia Kickoff Classic. Graduate student utility Nina Vallejos was responsible for the squad's first two runs scored with her single midway through the season opener on Feb. 4 while the pitching tandem of sophomore Jolene Rhoades (6-19) and freshman Julia Jordan (1-8) combined to allow just two earned runs in a narrow 3-1 ballgame at the tournament's end on Feb. 6.

Another pitchers' duel began the following week's Montana State Billings Desert Stinger in Arizona as Jordan again surrendered just a single run versus Central Washington on Feb. 11. The first non-conference doubleheader of the season on Feb. 16 was highlighted by sophomore infielder Haley Randall's first home run of the season and one of Rhoades' best starts of the season as she held Sonoma State to a single run in six strong innings. A near upset of No. 14 Cal State Monterey Bay followed in Academy of Art's first two home games of the year on Feb. 23.

Nationally-ranked opponents continued to arrive at Mission Blue Field with ART U next hosting No. 3 Concordia in the Pacific West Conference season-opening series. Though the Eagles won the quartet, the Knights established a lead in the first game on Feb. 27 and senior catcher/infielder Lauryn Henderson connected for her first home run in game two then drove in three of her teammates with two doubles on the final afternoon of action in February.

Though Azusa Pacific claimed the first day of the next series, Academy of Art rallied early on Mar. 8 with some productive swings from Henderson, junior catcher/utility Cassandra Mittman, and sophomore pitcher/infielder Katie Humphreys while Jordan came through with just one unearned run allowed in five relief frames to secure the 8-5 victory. After scoring nine more runs in the series finale, ART U continued its momentum on offense with a season-high 11 scores, two from freshman utility Elle Edeker's single in the first then three more on Humphreys' first career triple in a six-run fourth, as part of a victory over Cal Poly Humboldt on Mar. 13.

Following one more non-conference twin bill with SF State, the Knights endured tough results in their first meetings with local PacWest opponents in Dominican and Holy Names. The month of March ended on a positive note, however, as Academy of Art executed a doubleheader sweep of Dominican on Mar. 27 thanks to run-scoring doubles from junior outfielder Bethany Mitchell and Henderson as well as a critical sacrifice fly from senior catcher Alyssa Brundage in the first contest before Mittman cranked a three-run homer to support a dominant pitching effort from junior Haley Arnold-Jolley (3-16) and Rhoades in the finale.

Two wins then became four straight as the Tournament of Champions began with a pair of dramatic victories in the late innings on Apr. 1. A two-run blast from Henderson to open extra innings put the signature on an 11-9 triumph over Saint Martin's then Mitchell and Mittman each delivered run-scoring singles in the bottom of the seventh for a 3-2 walk-off win over Cal State East Bay. Henderson would go on to tie the program's career home run record with her 22nd shot against Western Oregon on Apr. 2 before her team departed for Hawaii one week later.

The Urban Knights were met with quite a bit of rain in their series with UH Hilo, which needed two days to play two games while the others were canceled, but the next matchups with Hawaii Pacific and Chaminade were able to be fully played through. Victories over the Sharks and Silverswords each were powered by home runs as Mitchell broke a 4-4 tie with her blast in the eighth inning on Apr. 15 and Henderson made history with the 23rd launch of her career in a 6-3 win on Apr. 18.

Back on the mainland on Apr. 24, it was time for ART U to honor its senior class of utility Alyssa Rasmussen, Henderson, and Brundage while hosting HNU on Senior Day. In front of friends and family, the day's finale could not have been more poetic as all three seniors came to bat in the final inning which saw Brundage double home the game-winning run before being embraced by her teammates in an emotional moment at second base.

Though the final series of the season opened with Biola looking dominant, Academy of Art concluded on a triumphant note with Henderson crushing her last collegiate homer to start what would be a 7-5 victory that saw seven different Knights record hits on Apr. 29. Henderson would go on to earn All-PacWest Second Team honors to punctuate a legendary career that saw her break ART U records in homers (25) and walks (82) while adding her name to the top 10 in virtually all of the program's career hitting categories.

With its core of experienced returners set to mix with a sizeable recruiting class in the coming year, Academy of Art softball has its sights set on the bright future ahead.