Ana Gold

Personal: Gold is the daughter of Eric and Julie Gold and one of four children in her family. Her father played college baseball at Tusculum College, while her mother competed in basketball at Alfred University. Her brother, Luke, played baseball at Boston College and was selected by the Detroit Tigers in the fifth round of the 2022 Major League Baseball Draft. A two-sport athlete in high school, Gold also played basketball in addition to softball. As a child, she was active in several sports, including basketball, baseball, and soccer, and she also played the violin in an orchestra for eight years. At home, she has three cats named Honey, Prince, and Hector. Gold credits her father as someone who has made a meaningful difference in her life. She looks up to Sierra and Sydney Romero, citing their talent and resilience as reasons they are her idols. One of her proudest accomplishments was helping lead Duke to the NCAA Women’s College World Series in 2024. Outside of softball, Gold enjoys a variety of hobbies such as baking, cooking, hiking, running, fishing, and spending time at the pool or beach. She also knows how to water ski. She has worn No. 4 throughout her entire playing career and described receiving the AUSL Golden Ticket as a moment when she truly felt starstruck.

College Experience: Gold was a four-year letter winner at Duke, starting 230 of 232 games from 2022 to 2025. She earned a starting assignment in every game over her final three seasons and finished her career with a .306 batting average, a school-record 54 home runs, and 199 runs batted in. Over her time with the Blue Devils, she collected 204 hits, including 29 doubles and seven triples, while scoring 200 runs. As a senior, Gold was named a Second-Team NFCA All-East Region performer after posting a career-best .333 batting average, along with 16 home runs and 63 RBIs. She also earned Third-Team All-Atlantic Coast Conference honors and started all 59 games that season, helping Duke secure an NCAA Tournament berth. In the tournament opener against Howard, she drove in a season-high five runs with two home runs in an 8-0 victory. She also recorded four RBIs in a 3-for-5 performance against North Carolina on April 5, 2025. During the 2024 season, Gold was one of six Duke players to start all 61 games. She helped lead the Blue Devils to their first NCAA Women’s College World Series appearance, hitting .269 with 49 hits, 47 runs scored, nine home runs, and 44 RBIs. She became the first player in Duke history to hit two grand slams in a single game, accomplishing the feat against North Dakota State on February 14, 2024. In that game, she also set the program’s single-game record with eight RBIs in an 18-0 run-rule win. Gold became Duke’s all-time home run leader with a three-run blast against East Carolina on April 9, 2024, and later added a solo home run against Alabama in the Women’s College World Series. As a sophomore, she hit .313 while starting all 59 games, earning Third-Team NFCA All-Region honors and First-Team All-ACC recognition. She slugged a then-school-record 19 home runs and posted a program-best 56 RBIs, along with eight doubles and 10 stolen bases. Gold made an immediate impact in her freshman season, starting 51 of 53 games and finishing with a .311 batting average. She earned Third-Team All-ACC and ACC All-Freshman Team honors after setting the Duke freshman record with 10 home runs and tallying 36 RBIs, 12 doubles, and 13 stolen bases. She matched the program’s single-game record with four runs scored in her college debut against California Baptist on February 11, 2022.