The St. Louis Gateway Gold announced the signing of infielder Brooke Ellestad, adding a proven collegiate performer with a track record of power, consistency, and all-conference recognition to its inaugural Professional Softball League roster for the 2027 season.
Ellestad, a 5-foot-10 left-handed hitter and right-handed thrower from Kimberly, Wisconsin, arrives in St. Louis after a decorated four-year Division I career that included stops at the University of St. Thomas, Louisiana, and Alabama. She ranked No. 14 nationally among third basemen in the 2025 D1Softball preseason rankings and was listed No. 64 on the Softball America Preseason Top 100. She also earned All-Sun Belt First Team honors and Sun Belt Newcomer of the Year recognition in 2024, along with two-time All-Summit League selection and 2022 Summit League Freshman of the Year honors.
At Louisiana in 2024, Ellestad led the Ragin’ Cajuns in RBIs (54) and home runs (9) while batting .357 with 65 hits. She earned NFCA All-Central Region Third Team recognition, All-Louisiana First Team honors, and a spot on the Sun Belt Championship All-Tournament Team. She previously posted back-to-back 50-hit seasons at St. Thomas, where she hit .425 as a freshman and .392 as a sophomore, totaling 115 hits, 12 home runs, and 64 RBIs across those two campaigns while primarily playing shortstop. In her senior season at Alabama, she started the majority of games, contributed key hits including a grand slam at Texas A&M, and finished with eight home runs and 46 RBIs while helping the Crimson Tide reach the NCAA Tournament.
Career totals through 2025 show a .363 batting average, 29 home runs, and 165 RBIs across 213 games. A product of Kimberly High School (with earlier experience at Oshkosh North), Ellestad was a first-team all-state selection and local player of the year in Wisconsin, known for her power and work ethic. She has cited strong family support and the memory of a close friend as ongoing sources of motivation throughout her career.
The addition of Ellestad continues the Gateway Gold’s roster buildout following the franchise’s acceptance into the six-team Professional Softball League for 2027. After drawing strong crowds for exhibition games in 2026—including a two-game series at CarShield Field in O’Fallon—the Gold secured full membership and will compete in a 40-game schedule next summer alongside clubs such as the Kansas City Diamonds. Former Cardinals pitchers Kyle McClellan, Matt Adams, and Trevor Rosenthal have been involved with the organization as it transitions from exhibition play to a full professional season.
Ellestad joins a group that has already featured a mix of local and collegiate talent during the 2026 exhibition window. Her experience at multiple levels, combined with her left-handed bat and defensive versatility on the left side of the infield, gives the Gold another established producer as it prepares for its first full PSL campaign.
