Cate Lehner broke Butler’s all-time hits record on Feb. 14. Photo courtesy of Butler Athletics.
MARIA CLARA KOLLER | STAFF REPORTER | mkollerfernandez@butler.edu
Had a former teammate not broken her arm 14 years ago, senior outfielder Cate Lehner might have never broken Butler’s all-time hits record. The Indianapolis native, now one of the most decorated athletes at Butler, started her softball career with some of the worst news an aspiring athlete can hear.
“I tried out for the travel team by my house, and I was the only girl that got cut from the team because I was so bad,” Lehner said. “Then one of my friends broke her arm and they needed one more player, so I played. That’s why I’m still playing, because that girl broke her arm.”
Fortunately for Lehner, the rest of her career panned out better than the start. Before becoming a Bulldog, she led Roncalli High School to consecutive IHSAA 4A State Softball championships in her junior and senior seasons. The team was named 2022 MaxPreps National Champions, becoming the first Indiana team to earn the honor, and was named the sixth-best high school team of all time.
During the recruitment process, Lehner’s high school coach contacted head coach Scott Hall about the outfielder. He compared her to Lauren Fey, a 2022 Butler graduate and former Roncalli student-athlete, who is top-10 in four different career lists — batting average, hits, stolen bases and walks.
Hall was easily persuaded and took a chance on Lehner.
“She is probably the easiest recruit I’ve ever had,” Hall said. “I’m friends with their high school coach, and he called and said, ‘Hey, I think I’ve got another Lauren Fey for you.’ I said, ‘Well, those are big shoes to fill’. She came to Butler and has worked her tail off and [has] God-given talent. So [this is] what happens when God-given talent and hard work meet up. She’s earned it, for sure.”
Lehner came to a Butler softball camp and everything fell into place. A strong sense of community, the culture and the comfort of being close to home all played a factor in bringing the national champion to Butler.
“I really loved the balance of academics and athletics here,” Lehner said. “I live only 20 minutes from here, which is really nice. When I came to a camp here, I loved the coaching staff and all the players that I met had a lot of great things to say about the community [and the] culture on the team. I thought it was a perfect fit.”
Hall’s trust in Lehner has paid off. She started off her career by earning All-Big East Second Team honors in 2023, while receiving All-Big East First Team honors in her sophomore and junior year. Lehner exploded in her junior year, earning NFCA Great Lakes Region second team honors and breaking the Butler single-season record for batting average, hits, stolen bases and runs. In her final season as a Bulldog, she finds herself in the top-10 for career runs and stolen bases, while breaking the hits record in her game against Tennessee State on Feb. 14.
Lehner recalled the moment a first-inning bunt in the first game of the series broke the 17-year-old record.
“It really felt good to see all my teammates so excited for me,” Lehner said. “It made me feel really loved and appreciated. I looked up at my mom and my grandma, and they were really excited too. To have such great support from my teammates and coaches felt really nice.”
Senior outfielder Emily Todor has played alongside Lehner their entire collegiate career. As they both enter their final season, Todor spoke on what it means to see Lehner reach this milestone.
“It has meant everything to me to play alongside her,” Todor said. “I feel like freshman year we got really close, and just always having her by my side, and getting to see her accomplish those goals that she was so excited to try to do freshman year [is so exciting].”
Not only has Lehner grown into her athletic ability, but as she continues to excel in her senior year, she has also become a leading presence for the team.
“She has become more of a leader [and] more confident,” Hall said. “As a freshman coming in here, just trying to find your place, and she has developed into an awesome young lady [who’s] open to helping the young ones be more vocal. She’s just been a joy to coach.”
Breaking the all-time hits record was just another chapter in Lehner’s career. The hometown hero will be closing out her career as a Bulldog at the end of the season, as the team looks forward to the Big East championships.
With Lehner playing her final games with the team this spring, the senior embraces the end of a journey.
“I’ve loved all four years here,” Lehner said. “It’s crazy that we’re all about to leave the program. It’s just been really nice to have such a great group of girls to play with every year, and I wouldn’t have wanted to play anywhere else.”
