Salukis ranked 7th nationally in Team GPA
10/03/2018 | 12:59:00 | Softball
The 2017-18Â Southern Illinois softball team was recognized for its excellence in the classroom Wednesday by the National Fastpitch Coaches Association, placing seventh on the 2017-18 Easton/NFCA Division I All-Academic list with a 3.596 grade point average, the highest mark for any Missouri Valley Conference team.
12 of SIU's 18 players on last year's team earned Easton / NFCA Scholar-Athlete honors by posting a GPA above 3.5 for the 2017-18 school year. Haley Andrus, Maris Boelens, Megan Brown, Kyleigh Decker, Savanna Dover, Shelby Hodo, Jenny Jansen, Sydney Jones, Katelyn Massa, Bailee Pulley, Maddy Vermejan and Meredith Wernig all earned Scholar-Athlete honors.Â
It's our culture around here," head coach Kerri Blaylock said of her team's consistent academic success. "I don't think any kid wants to be the weak link. I think they all compete academically just as they do on the field. They know its important to me and I'm so proud of this award. Between this honor and the fact that we have the second-most Academic All-Americans of any Division I softball program with the exception of the University of Nebraska are the two things I'm most proud of as far as academics go. Our kids want to go on with their lives and make an impact and I think they are doing great things in the classroom."
SIU's seventh-place finish marks the 13th time since 2001 that it has finished in the top-10 nationally, and the 16th time in 18 years that it has posted a top-15 GPA. The Salukis have cracked the top-35 in each of the past 18 seasons, including a second place finish in 2007. Under head coach Kerri Blaylock, the program's all-time wins leader, Southern has finished in the top-10 percent nationally in team GPA every year while winning four MVC titles and going to six NCAA Tournaments, most recently in 2017.Â
12 of SIU's 18 players on last year's team earned Easton / NFCA Scholar-Athlete honors by posting a GPA above 3.5 for the 2017-18 school year. Haley Andrus, Maris Boelens, Megan Brown, Kyleigh Decker, Savanna Dover, Shelby Hodo, Jenny Jansen, Sydney Jones, Katelyn Massa, Bailee Pulley, Maddy Vermejan and Meredith Wernig all earned Scholar-Athlete honors.Â
It's our culture around here," head coach Kerri Blaylock said of her team's consistent academic success. "I don't think any kid wants to be the weak link. I think they all compete academically just as they do on the field. They know its important to me and I'm so proud of this award. Between this honor and the fact that we have the second-most Academic All-Americans of any Division I softball program with the exception of the University of Nebraska are the two things I'm most proud of as far as academics go. Our kids want to go on with their lives and make an impact and I think they are doing great things in the classroom."
SIU's seventh-place finish marks the 13th time since 2001 that it has finished in the top-10 nationally, and the 16th time in 18 years that it has posted a top-15 GPA. The Salukis have cracked the top-35 in each of the past 18 seasons, including a second place finish in 2007. Under head coach Kerri Blaylock, the program's all-time wins leader, Southern has finished in the top-10 percent nationally in team GPA every year while winning four MVC titles and going to six NCAA Tournaments, most recently in 2017.Â
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