University of Chicago Women's Softball

Ruth Kmak enters her 27th year as the Head Softball Coach at the University of Chicago in the 2025-26 academic year. Kmak has led the Maroons to 10 NCAA Division III postseason appearances while compiling a career record of 475-323-2 (.595 winning percentage). UChicago has also produced six All-Americans and 39 All-Region selections during Kmak's tenure. In 2023, UChicago compiled a 24-12-1 record and pitcher Paige Heffke was named All-Region. Kmak earned her 400th career win during the 2018 season - an 8-4 victory against North Park University on April 2. The 2017 Maroons qualified for the NCAA postseason for the second-straight year. UChicago posted a 26-14 record and three players were named All-Region. In 2016, UChicago went 27-10 and reached the NCAA Regional final. The 27 wins were the second-most in program history. Kmak picked up her 300th career victory in 2014 and her squad started the season with a 16-1 record. The Maroons finished with a 25-10 mark that included a trip to the NCAA Tournament. The Maroons went 26-11 in 2012 and reached the NCAA postseason. UChicago posted a 25-15-1 record in 2010 en route to reaching the NCAA Tournament. Kmak capped the 2009 campaign by notching her 200th career victory - a 6-2 decision over Hope College - during the season's final week. In 2007, the Maroons earned their second NCAA Division III tournament bid in as many years. UChicago finished the season with an overall record of 26-11, matching the winningest campaign in school history. UChicago received an NCAA postseason bid in 2006 after finishing 19-13 during the regular season. The Maroons went 1-2 in regional play, with a victory over eventual regional champion, Coe. UChicago posted a 23-10 mark in 2003 and earned a berth in the NCAA Division III Midwest Regional, where it was eliminated in the 11-inning championship game. Two years earlier in 2001, Kmak led the Maroons to the NCAA Division III tournament with a school-record 26 victories (26-12). As interim coach in 1996, Kmak guided the Maroons to the University Athletic Association title with a perfect 6-0 mark. UChicago only participated in the UAA from 1995-97. Kmak served as an assistant coach at Loyola University Chicago from 1992-95 and 2000, and from 1996-98 was an assistant coach at Ball State University. Both Loyola and Ball State won their respective conference championships during Kmak's tenure at those institutions. Kmak is a graduate of the University of Notre Dame, where she was a four-year letter winner as a shortstop from 1989-92. A three-time All-Midwestern Collegiate Conference first team pick, Kmak concluded her playing career as the all-time assists leader in Notre Dame history. She also set a team record with four stolen bases in a 1990 contest. In 2014, Kmak was inducted into the Marian Catholic High School Hall of Fame. As a high school athlete, Kmak played on the Marian softball team that won four Girls Catholic Athletic Conference championships from 1985-88. She was also a member of the basketball team that reached the Class AA Sweet 16 in 1988. Kmak earned a bachelor's degree in English and theology from Notre Dame in 1992. Kmak Record at UChicago Year Overall UAA UAA Finish 1996 13-18 6-0 1st 2001 26-12 2002 17-19 2003 23-10 2004 26-9 2005 25-10 2006 20-15 2007 26-11 2008 11-19 2009 14-14 2010 25-15-1 2011 23-11 2012 26-11 2013 18-16 2014 25-10 2015 15-19 2016 27-10 2017 26-14 2018 20-17 2019 13-19 2020 1-1 2021 11-14 2022 17-15 2023 24-12-1 2024 25-10 2025 21-19 10-8 4th Total   518-350-2 16-8 Overall Win Percentage: .597 UAA Winning Percentage: .667 UAA Champions: 1996 NCAA Tournament Appearances: 2001, 2003, 2004, 2006, 2007, 2010, 2012, 2014, 2016, 2017

Alyssa Gonzalez enters her first year as the Assistant Softball Coach at the University of Chicago in the 2025-26 academic year. Gonzalez will be making her first career collegiate coaching stop with the Maroons after previously serving as an assistant coach at Beaumont High School in California over the past two years. As a collegiate player at Sacred Heart University from 2019-2023, Gonzalez broke the school record in career home runs (50), total bases (328), and runs batted in (134). She also holds the top three spots in program history in single-season home runs with 17, 13, and 12 in her final three seasons with the Pioneers while completing her career with an unprecedented .641 slugging percentage and 1.041 OPS. She earned two NFCA All-Region honors and three 1st-Team All-Conference selections as a catcher in the Northeast Conference, and she added NEC Player of the Year honors in 2021.

Andrew Eaton enters his 1st year as the Assistant Men's and Women's Swimming Coach and Assistant Director of Aquatics at the University of Chicago in the 2025-26 academic year. Eaton joins the University of Chicago swimming & diving coaching staff with a wide-ranging background in collegiate and club coaching, athlete development, and performance strategy. He was named assistant coach after impactful stops at several NCAA institutions and brings with him a proven record of competitive and developmental success. Eaton most recently served as assistant coach at the University of South Carolina, where he was promoted from volunteer assistant in 2021 to full-time assistant coach in 2022. During his tenure, South Carolina achieved consistent improvements at both the SEC Championships and NCAA Championships. t the 2025 SEC Conference Championships, the women's team placed the highest in program history, placing 5th out of 13 teams. Under his guidance, the program increased its NCAA qualifiers from two to eight in just three seasons, while climbing from 11th to 7th place at SECs. In 2024, two women scored in the finals at NCAAs—another milestone for the Gamecocks. Eaton coached numerous SEC finalists and international competitors, including Olympians and Asian Games participants. He was also in charge of the women's sprint group at the University of South Carolina from 2023-2025. Prior to his time at South Carolina, Eaton served as assistant coach at Franklin & Marshall College (2019–2021). His two seasons at F&M marked some of the most successful in program history. The men's team captured its first conference title in 10 years, the program set a new record for All-Americans, and nearly every school record was broken. Two swimmers qualified for the 2020 U.S. Olympic Trials. Eaton also spent time with UAA-rival Emory University in 2019 as a volunteer assistant. The women's team won the NCAA Division III Championship that season, while the men finished as national runners-up. Eaton primarily worked with the sprint group. Before entering collegiate coaching, Eaton was a head coach at Chattahoochee Gold Swim Club in Georgia. There, he guided age group swimmers ranked in the national top 10 and helped athletes go on to compete for top NCAA Division I programs. Eaton brings a unique and holistic coaching philosophy shaped by his previous career as a business consultant for Accenture. As a manager, he advised Fortune 500 companies on large-scale organizational change across the U.S., Japan, and Spain—experiences that continue to inform his strategic, analytical, and leadership approach on deck. A four-time NCAA Division III team national champion and 24-time All-American at Kenyon College, Eaton served as team captain during his collegiate career. He earned his bachelor's degree in psychology, a field that continues to influence his passion for athlete growth and personal development.