Hester, Mahaffey named to Academic All-District Softball Team

Hester, Mahaffey named to Academic All-District Softball Team

DALLAS, Texas --- Tusculum University's Emily Hester and Morgan Mahaffey have been named to the 2019 Google Cloud NCAA Division II Academic All-District III Softball first team as selected by the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA).

Hester and Mahaffey will advance to the Google Cloud Academic All-America® ballot with the winners being announced later this month.  The Academic All-District III team is selected from nominees representing all colleges and universities in the South Atlantic Conference, Conference Carolinas and Peach Belt Conference.

Hester and Mahaffey both return to the Academic All-District squad after garnering first team accolades last season.

Hester, a senior first baseman from Kings Mountain, North Carolina, boasts a 3.88 cumulative grade point average while majoring in biology.  She was named to the SAC Commissioner's Honor Roll, Athletic Director's Honor Roll, Dean's List and Charles Oliver Gray Honors List. 

The 2017 All-SAC honoree led the Pioneers in her final season in batting average (.368 – 19th in SAC), doubles (16 – 4th in SAC), home runs (7 – 18th in SAC), RBI (32 – T18th in SAC), total bases (88), slugging percentage (.662 – 11th in SAC), on-base percentage (.434 – 20th in SAC) and putouts (319 – 2nd in SAC).   Hester leaves Tusculum and is ranked eighth in TU history in career hits (186), T7th in career doubles (39), fourth in career RBI (141), second in career home runs (23) and first in career sacrifice flies (11) and putouts (1,118).

Mahaffey, a senior outfielder from Belmont, North Carolina, has a perfect 4.00 GPA and was the recipient of the Tusculum Student-Athlete Academic Achievement Award for a third time in her career, becoming only the fifth TU student-athlete to achieve the feat with a 4.00.   She is also a member of the SAC Commissioner's Honor Roll, Athletic Director's Honor Roll, Dean's List, President's List and Charles Oliver Gray Honors List.  Mahaffey is also a member of the Alpha Chi honors society.  Mahaffey played in 31 games in the outfield and 170 for her career.

Tusculum ended the season with a 22-20 overall record for the Pioneers.

The Google Cloud Academic All-America® programs are partially financially supported by the NCAA Division II and III national governance structures to assist CoSIDA with handling the awards fulfillment aspects for the 2018-19 Divisions II and III Academic All-America® programs. The NAIA Google Cloud Academic All-America® program is partially financially supported through the NAIA national office.

 

2019 Google Cloud Academic All-District III Softball Team

(South Atlantic Conference, Conference Carolinas, Peach Belt Conference)

FIRST TEAM

Pos

Name

School

Yr.

GPA

Major

P

Aubrey Reep

Wingate

Jr.

3.56

Elementary Education

P

Justice Smith

Lincoln Memorial

Jr.

3.96

Finance

C

Claire Doyle

Belmont Abbey

Jr.

3.94

Psychology / Educational Studies

INF

Amber Coy

Georgia College

Jr.

4.00

Nursing

INF

Kasey Grant

Anderson

Sr.

4.00

Biochemistry

INF

Emily Hester

Tusculum

Sr.

3.88

Biology

INF

Talon LaClair

Lenoir-Rhyne

So.

4.00

Math

OF

Abby Fiessinger

Carson-Newman

Jr.

3.86

Math

OF

Morgan Mahaffey

Tusculum

Sr.

4.00

Biology

OF

Emma Swenson

Wingate

Jr.

3.86

Criminal Justice

DP

Chelsey Cunningham

Newberry

Jr.

  4.00

Criminal Justice