Iowa Lakes Softball player, Lauren Hein, signed to continue her athletic and academic careers at NAIA Waldorf University in Forest City, IA.

"I am very excited that Lauren decided to continue her softball and academic careers at Waldorf University," said Larson. "Lauren had two very successful years here at Iowa Lakes and I look for her to continue that at Waldorf. Her hard work, determination, and heart will allow her to be successful both on the field and in the classroom. Lauren has made her mark on Iowa Lakes softball and she is the epitome of what we want future Lakers to be. The sky is the limit for Lauren and I cannot wait to see what he future has in store for her!"

Lauren graduated from Andover High School and is the daughter of Mike and Melissa Hein. During her time at Andover, she posted a .369 batting average with 6 homeruns. She had a slugging percentage of .723 and a fielding percentage of .945.

In her career as a Laker, Lauren batted .395 with a .750 slugging percentage. She recorded 131 hits, including 32 doubles, 4 triples, and 26 homeruns. She scored 105 runs and batted in 91 of her teammates. Hein has put herself in the Iowa Lakes Softball record book top 10 for career runs scored (105), doubles (32), and homeruns (26). She also finished third in the nation this past year for homeruns with 18. In her freshman year, she was awarded 2nd Team All-Region Academic Team both semesters, was named ICCAC Player of the Week, and was selected for 2nd Team All-Region. This year, Lauren was awarded 1st Team All-Region.

Hein had this to say,  "It has truly been a blessing to have been a part of the Laker family, especially with this last season! I will miss everyone I have become close to along the way, but I cannot thank them enough for always being so supportive. I'm ecstatic to have the opportunity to keep playing at Waldorf along with furthering my education. "