Four Southland Softball Players Earn Academic All-District Honors

Four Southland Softball Players Earn Academic All-District Honors

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Central Arkansas’ Beals, Bryant Named to Academic All-District Team

CONWAY, Ark. - The University of Central Arkansas placed a pair of student-athletes on the Capital One Academic All-District Softball Team, selected by the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA) to recognize the nation's top student-athletes for their combined performances athletically and in the classroom.

Senior outfielder Nicole Beals and junior infielder Melissa Bryant were both named to the 11-member District 6 team, joining three student-athletes from the University of Missouri, two from the University of Louisiana at Lafayette and one each from LSU, Louisiana Tech, McNeese State and UMKC.

Beals, a History major from Phoenix, Ariz., holds a 3.76 GPA and is the second-leading hitter in the Southland Conference this season with a .387 average and leads the league with 65 hits.

Bryant, a Nursing major from Hernando, Miss., has a 3.73 GPA and is 9th in the Southland in RBI with 28 and tied for third with 12 doubles.

By making the All-District team, Beals and Bryant will be placed on the Capital One Academic All-America Team ballot, with the teams to be selected later this month.

District 6 includes schools from Arkansas, Iowa, Louisiana, Minnesota, Missouri, Mississippi, North Dakota, South Dakota and Wisconsin.

The Bears have had four players selected to the team the last two years, as Melanie Bryant and Katie McGregor were each voted onto the team last season.

 

Stephen F. Austin’s Arana Earns Academic All-District Honors

NACOGDOCHES, Texas - Stephen F. Austin sophomore utility infielder Elizabeth Arana was named Saturday a Capital One Academic All-District VII first-team selection by the College Sports Information Director's of America.

The Woodlands, Texas native has not only been the team leader offensively in nearly every category in 2012, but she has also excelled in the classroom, boasting a 4.0 GPA while majoring in Kinesiology. On the field Arana has proved to be one of the most versatile Ladyjacks, starting at shortstop, second base and first base. She leads the team in hits (37), home runs (4), RBI's (21), total bases (63), slugging percentage (.504), walks (29) and on-base percentage (.435).

One of 11 players named to the All-District first-team, and the lone student-athlete from the Southland Conference, Arana is now eligible for the Academic All-America teams. She joins nine other softball players from Big

12 universities and one from the University of Houston.

Arana and the Ladyjacks will close the 2012 season Saturday at home against UTSA at 1 p.m.

 

McNeese State’s  DiVittorio Named To CoSIDA District All-Academic Team

LAKE CHARLES, La. - McNeese State sophomore outfielder Alanna DiVittorio has been named to the 2012 CoSIDA District 6 Academic All-District first team.

The native of Harahan, La., has a 3.94 GPA in Civil Engineering and is the Cowgirls’ starting centerfielder. DiVittorio currently leads the team and the SLC with a .459 on base percent and 31 walks.