Who is she? Elaine Heflin, a former pitcher for the Illinois-Chicago Flames.
What is she known for? Heflin was named the Horizon League’s Pitcher of the Year three times (2015, ’16, ’17) during her career and earned a trio of all-conference and all-region selections. She helped the club to three regular season conference championships and an appearance in the NCAA tournament in 2017. Heflin ranks in the program’s top ten in seven different statistical career categories, including wins (47) and strikeouts (501).
Here’s something interesting… In 2017, after her playing career ended, Heflin was nominated for the NCAA’s Woman of the Year award. Heflin was her school’s nominee for the award that honors female athletes who have, among other qualifications, distinguished themselves throughout their collegiate careers in academics, athletics, service, and leadership.
Quotable quote: “Softball has taught me a lot over the years that I have been able to use in life. One of the lessons I have learned is grit. Throughout all the adversities (injuries, bad calls, team issues, etc), I have learned how to adjust and come up with different solutions when a problem arises. I have also learned how to be a selfless person by focusing on making the people around me better and not just myself. I learned that when you help the people around you, then you will have a stronger team as a whole.”
What’s she up to now? After graduating from UIC after the 2017 season, Heflin accepted the position of Graduate Assistant Coach for the Arkansas Razorbacks. In addition to coaching, she is pursuing her Master’s degree in the field of Public Administration.
Keep up: You can find and follow Elaine on Twitter and Instagram @elaine_heflin.
