2014 Capital One Academic All-America® Softball Teams release dates: 
College Division Team: release/teams
NCAA Division III Team: below
NCAA Division II Team: Wed., May 21
NCAA Division I Team: Thurs., May 22
• Capital One Academic All-America® website
• Capital One Academic All-America® Softball Division III Teams PDF version Word doc version
TOWSON, Md. – Senior infielder Megan Light of Emory University headlines the 2014 Capital One Academic All-America® Division III Softball Team, as selected by the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA).
An anthropology and human biology major with a 3.96 grade-point average, Light was selected as the winner of the Capital One Division III Academic All-America ® of the Year award for softball.
The Capital One Division III Academic All-America® program is being financially supported by the NCAA Division III national governance structure, to assist CoSIDA with handling the awards fulfillment aspects for the 2013-14 Division III Academic All-America ® teams program.
A Capital One Academic All-America ® second-team honoree in 2013, Light is one of six student-athletes to earn multiple Academic All-America ® honors among the 33 student-athletes named to the three teams.
Five honorees are earning the honor for the second straight year while
Kelsey Neal of Washington (Mo.) and
Alexandria Hill of Montclair State were honored for the third year in a row.
Neal, a designated player, is a first team selection this year after earning second team notice last year and third team honors in 2012. A pitcher, Hill is a repeat first team selection who was named to the third team in 2012.
Named as the University Athletic Association Most Valuable Player for the third time in her career,
Light earned National Fastpitch Coaches Association All-Atlantic Region honors for the fourth time. She was named to the first team for third year in a row. A four-time All-UAA first-team honoree, Light was named as Emory’s Brittain Award honoree, considered the school’s highest student honor.
A two-time All-American, Light led No. 15 Emory to a 39-9 final record and a berth in the NCAA Division III Super Regional where the Eagles lost to Trine. The second-leading hitter in UAA, she batted .463 (68-for-147). She also led the UAA by scoring 56 runs. With a school-record 19 home runs, she is tied for the NCAA Division III lead with Jo Clair of Tufts. Her 1.000 slugging percentage was third-best in Division III. She has driven in a school-record 65 runs this season, while also hitting 20 doubles and a .539 on-base percentage. A native of Atlanta, Ga., the first baseman started all 46 games for the Eagles as a senior. She finished her career with a .429 batting average with 171 runs scored while finishing her career as Emory’s career leader with 47 home runs and 224 runs batted in. She also finished her career with a school record 230 base hits.
Light is one of two Emory players named to the Capital One Academic All-America® Division III softball first team.
Emory senior infielder Claire Bailey, a second-team selection in 2012, earned first-team honors this season. A biology major with a 3.94 G.P.A., she earned second team All-UAA honors as a second baseman. A native of Henrico, Va., Bailey finished the season with a .358 batting average and scored 45 runs.
Seniors Stephanie Caravello of Brooklyn and
Sydney Folk of Ithaca join Light and Bailey as infielders on the Capital One Academic All-America ® first team.
Seniors Brittney Head of Piedmont and
Amber White of Bridgewater State are the pitchers on the first team while
St. Thomas (Minn.) senior Emily Gregory is the first-team catcher.
Senior Laura Basford of Otterbein,
junior Carly Searles of Trine and
senior Kaitlin Silkowitz of Amherst are the outfielders on the first team while Neal is the first team designated player.
The 11 members of the Capital One Academic All-America ® Division III softball first team maintain an average G.P.A of 3.88, with one perfect 4.00 G.P.A. member.
An exercise science major with a 3.96 G.P.A. from Brooklyn, N.Y.,
Caravello was an All-City University of New York Athletic Conference (CUNYAC) first team selection this year. She batted .417 (48-of-115) with 10 doubles, 33 runs scored, 31 RBIs, a .583 slugging percentage and .472 on-base percentage. She led the Bulldogs to a 25-15 record and second place in the CUNYAC. Starting in 143 of her 145 career games at first base, she hit .342 in her career, with 100 RBIs and 111 runs scored.
A clinical health studies major with a 4.00 G.P.A. from Long Beach, N.Y.,
Folk earned NFCA All-Northeast Region first-team honors for the second time, her third straight all-region selection. The Empire 8 Conference Player of the Year for the second time in her career, Folk led the 26-14 Bombers to the NCAA regional final this season, winning the Empire 8 title. A starter at third base, Folk led the Bombers with a .393 batting average in 29 games. She led Ithaca with 11 doubles, five home runs, 32 RBIs, 15 runs scored, a .685 slugging percentage and .465 on-base percentage.
An early childhood education major with a 3.87 G.P.A..,
Head earned NFCA All-Atlantic Region honors for the third time in her career. She posted a 21-4 record for Piedmont with a 1.68 ERA, 17 complete games and seven shutouts in 29 starts this season. A four-time all-conference selection, Head struck out 116 while allowing just 22 walks and a .221 opponent batting average in 171.1 innings of work. She led the Lady Lions to a 43-8 record. the USA South Conference regular-season and tournament titles. The Lady Lions, who advanced to the NCAA regionals. won 40-plus games for the first time in program history and were ranked No. 14 in the most recent NFCA national poll.
A biology (ecological biology) major with a 3.64 G.P.A,
White led Bridgewater State to a 32-14 and the NCAA Division III Wellesley regional title. A first team NFCA All-New England first team selection, she was named as the Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference (MASCAC) Pitcher of the Year for the third straight season. Named as the Most Valuable Player of the Wellesley regional, White posted a 25-3 record in 32 appearances (28 starts) with a 0.73 ERA. She set school records with 15 shutouts while pitching 25 complete games. While pitching 202.2 innings this season, White had 158 strikeouts with just 32 walks and a .168 opponent batting average. She currently ranks No. 2 among Division III players in both ERA and shutouts. The Bears won the MASCAC regular-season and tournament titles.
An exercise science major with a 3.73 G.P.A. from Prior Lake, Minn.,
Gregory is batting .418 while leading No. 13 St. Thomas (Minn.) to the NCAA Division III World Series. A starter in 49 games, she has led the Tommies to a 42-7 record. She has scored 37 runs with 10 doubles, 15 home runs and 57 RBI’s. A three-time All-Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference pick and four-time NFCA All-Midwest Region selection, she owns the MIAC’s career record with 195 RBIs and ranks second in MIAC history with 44 home runs. The Tommies won the MIAC’s regular-season and conference titles this season en route to the national playoffs.
A middle childhood education major with a 3.95 G.P.A,
Basford earned NFCA All-Central Region first-team honors this season for Otterbein, the second all-region honor of her career. The Ohio Athletic Conference Player of the Year and a three-time All-OAC selection, Basford led the OAC with a .504 batting average (61-of-121), while stealing a league-best 24 bases. Basford scored 39 runs and drove in 18, while hitting nine doubles, two triples and six home runs this season, She also had a .760 slugging percentage and a .545 on-base percentage. A native of Massillon, Ohio, she set 19 school records during her career with the Cardinals.
The lone non-senior on the Capital One Academic All-America® Division III softball first team,
Searles is a marketing major with a 3.84 G.P.A. A native of Levering, Mich., Searles led Trine to a berth in the NCAA Division III World Series and a 43-4 record. A two-time NFCA All-Central Region and three-time All-Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association selection, Searles became Trine’s career record-holder for hits and steals this season, while also tying the NCAA Division III single-season record for triples with 17. An NFCA All-American first team selection last season, Searles is batting . 483 with 72 runs scored, 84 base hits, seven doubles, 17 triples, five home runs and 36 runs batted in. One of the top 25 hitters in the nation, she leads Division III in runs scored and triples. The Thunder’s leadoff hitter, she has 29 stolen bases with a .543 on-base percentage. Searles led Trine to a sweep in the Super Regional at Emory last weekend.
A psychology major with a 3.88 G.P.A.
Silkowitz earned NFCA All-New England Region first-team and All-New England Small College Athletic Conference first-team honors for the second straight year at Amherst. A native of Scarsdale, N.Y., she finished her senior season with a .451 batting average, while scoring 30 runs and driving in nine. She stole 17 bases and had a .513 slugging percentage and .492 on-base percentage. Silkowitz hit safely in 27 of her 31 games this season for the Jeffs.
An economics and finance major with a 3.90 G.P.A.,
Neal earned second-team All-UAA honors at Washington (Mo.). She batted.352 for the Bears, who had a 31-17 record and qualified for the NCAA tournament for the 12th time in the last 13 years. She stroked 10 doubles, seven home runs and 46 RBI’s with 17 multiple-hit and 12 multiple-RBI games. In the pitching circle, Neal went 8-5 with a 3.04 ERA this season. A native of Miami, Okla., Neal earned NFCA All-Midwest Region honorable-mention honors this season.
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To be eligible for Academic All-America ® consideration, a student-athlete must be a varsity starter or key reserve, maintain a cumulative G.P.A. of 3.30 on a scale of 4.00, have reached sophomore athletic and academic standings at his/her current institution and be nominated by his/her sports information director.
Since the program’s inception in 1952, CoSIDA has bestowed Academic All-America honors on more than 20,000 student-athletes in Divisions I, II, III and NAIA, covering all NCAA championship sports.
For more information about the Academic All-America ® Teams program, please visit
www.cosida.com or
www.capitaloneacademicallamerica.com.
FOR MORE INFORMATION:
Dan O’Connell, Towson University (
doconnell@towson.edu) (410) 704-3102
Academic All-America ® Co-Vice-Chair for Publicity/Communications
Michael MacEachern, Young Harris College (
mfmaceachern@yhc.edu) (706) 379-5106
Academic All-America ® Co-Vice-Chair for Publicity/Communications
Don Stoner, Augsburg College (
stoner@augsburg.edu) (612) 330-1677
Academic All-America ® Coordinator of Publicity