HELENA — Carroll College softball is entering a new era with Aspen Herndon taking over as head coach.
The Townsend native spent the last four seasons as Carroll’s pitching coach before being promoted into the top role this summer following the resignation of Shawna Juarez. During Juarez’s tenure, the Saints posted 77 wins and earned the program’s first postseason victory in 2024.
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Now Herndon is tasked with building on that foundation while leading a roster she already knows well.
“It’s my dream job,” Herndon said.
Carroll finished last season with an 18-26 record, but Herndon believes the pieces are in place for the program to continue moving forward.
“I think that we’re in a good place to start, with me at the helm. So I'm excited to see what we can do,” she said.
As she begins her first season in charge, Herndon says the focus will be on making small improvements that can add up over the course of the season, while also bringing a more aggressive style of play to the field.
“Some small changes but small changes that are going to help us in the bigger picture of things,” she said.
The Saints return several important contributors from last season, including junior Brooke Thompson of Billings, who paced the team offensively with a .422 batting average while also leading Carroll in hits, home runs and RBIs.
Madison Walker is expected to take on a larger role as the team replaces several veteran players lost to graduation, while junior outfielder Kyla Cross joins the program looking to provide an immediate spark.
Carroll will also have to replace one of the most accomplished players in program history after the graduation of pitcher Kennedy Venner. Venner finished her career as the Fighting Saints’ all-time strikeout leader and was a three-time all-conference selection.
The Saints also lose several experienced senior contributors, including Sammie Labrum, following the Frontier Conference tournament run last season.
Still, Herndon says she’s eager to get to work once players return to campus in the coming weeks.
“I can't wait to get started with the girls, they come back in a couple weeks so it'll be exciting to get going with that,” Herndon said.
Herndon says the culture, work ethic and support around the program are already in place, and now the goal is continuing to compete while building long-term success for Carroll softball.
