Four Bulldogs Earn Academic All-District Honors
May 28, 2024 | Softball
STARKVILLE – Mississippi State softball saw four student-athletes named to the College Sports Communicators (CSC) Academic All-District team on Tuesday.
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The Bulldogs were represented by Madisyn Kennedy, Riley Hull, Josey Marron and Jessie Blaine. Hull and Kennedy were also named to the all-district team last year. Kennedy, who was tabbed a Second Team All-American by D1Softball on Tuesday morning, was selected as a finalist for the CSC Academic All-America team and now advances to a national ballot to be voted on by CSC members.
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Kennedy graduated this spring with her degree in kinesiology and has already been accepted to pursue her master's in occupational therapy at Baylor. She started 52 games this spring and was among the top 30 players nationally in slugging percentage, home runs per game and RBIs per game. She has been named to the SEC Honor Roll every year of her career and was an NFCA All-America Scholar-Athlete in 2022.
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Hull is pursuing her degree in business administration and played in nearly every game as a defensive replacement this year. She too has been named to the SEC Honor Roll in every year of her career, and she was an NFCA All-America Scholar-Athlete in 2023.
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Marron was recognized in her first year to be eligible as freshmen cannot be considered for CSC academic teams. Last year, she was a member of the SEC Honor Roll, and she was State's nominee for the 2024 SEC Scholar-Athlete of the Year. She boasts a perfect 4.0 GPA as a psychology major and made 27 appearances in the circle this year with 20 starts and eight complete games.
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Blaine, a communications major, earned her first CSC honor this year after transferring to State from Auburn. As a freshman for the Tigers, she was a member of the SEC Honor Roll and an NFCA All-America Scholar Athlete in 2022. Blaine played in all but one game this year and ranked second on the team in both slugging percentage and on-base percentage.
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With Kennedy advancing to the Academic All-America ballot, State will have a chance to claim its ninth Academic All-American in program history. Most recently, Mia Davidson was named a Second Team Academic All-American in 2022.
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The Academic All-America program was created in 1952. The voting process was updated in the summer of 2022, raising the minimum GPA and athletic participation standards. Student-athletes must post a cumulative GPA of at least 3.50 and have played 90 percent of a team's games or started in 66 percent to be eligible. Â Pitchers must have made 17 appearances or thrown 15.0 innings. Freshmen are not eligible, and each school is limited to five nominations.
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For more information on the Bulldog softball program, follow on X (formerly Twitter), Facebook and Instagram by searching "HailStateSB."
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The Bulldogs were represented by Madisyn Kennedy, Riley Hull, Josey Marron and Jessie Blaine. Hull and Kennedy were also named to the all-district team last year. Kennedy, who was tabbed a Second Team All-American by D1Softball on Tuesday morning, was selected as a finalist for the CSC Academic All-America team and now advances to a national ballot to be voted on by CSC members.
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Kennedy graduated this spring with her degree in kinesiology and has already been accepted to pursue her master's in occupational therapy at Baylor. She started 52 games this spring and was among the top 30 players nationally in slugging percentage, home runs per game and RBIs per game. She has been named to the SEC Honor Roll every year of her career and was an NFCA All-America Scholar-Athlete in 2022.
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Hull is pursuing her degree in business administration and played in nearly every game as a defensive replacement this year. She too has been named to the SEC Honor Roll in every year of her career, and she was an NFCA All-America Scholar-Athlete in 2023.
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Marron was recognized in her first year to be eligible as freshmen cannot be considered for CSC academic teams. Last year, she was a member of the SEC Honor Roll, and she was State's nominee for the 2024 SEC Scholar-Athlete of the Year. She boasts a perfect 4.0 GPA as a psychology major and made 27 appearances in the circle this year with 20 starts and eight complete games.
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Blaine, a communications major, earned her first CSC honor this year after transferring to State from Auburn. As a freshman for the Tigers, she was a member of the SEC Honor Roll and an NFCA All-America Scholar Athlete in 2022. Blaine played in all but one game this year and ranked second on the team in both slugging percentage and on-base percentage.
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With Kennedy advancing to the Academic All-America ballot, State will have a chance to claim its ninth Academic All-American in program history. Most recently, Mia Davidson was named a Second Team Academic All-American in 2022.
Â
The Academic All-America program was created in 1952. The voting process was updated in the summer of 2022, raising the minimum GPA and athletic participation standards. Student-athletes must post a cumulative GPA of at least 3.50 and have played 90 percent of a team's games or started in 66 percent to be eligible. Â Pitchers must have made 17 appearances or thrown 15.0 innings. Freshmen are not eligible, and each school is limited to five nominations.
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For more information on the Bulldog softball program, follow on X (formerly Twitter), Facebook and Instagram by searching "HailStateSB."
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