Five Georgia Southern student-athletes have earned spots on the Collegiate Sports Communicators Academic All-District Softball team, announced this week by the organization.
The five honorees are: junior second baseman Courtney Ball, senior pitcher Kastin Belogorska, senior catcher Janai Conklin, senior third baseman Olivia Creamer and senior first baseman Sam Vinson.
A junior from Macon, Ga., Courtney Ball earns the honor for carrying a 3.52 GPA in sport management. In her second year with the Eagles after playing her freshman season at Chattanooga, Ball hit .263 with four doubles, three home runs and 21 RBI in 2023. A 2021-22 Sun Belt Academic Honor Roll honoree, Ball also earned President's List honors in Spring of 2023 for carrying a perfect 4.0 GPA for the semester.
Belogorska, a senior from Eden, Ga., earns the honor for maintaining a perfect 4.0 GPA in middle grades education. She pitched in 11 games for the Eagles in 2023, going 1-4 with a 6.63 ERA, and also earned President's List honors for a fourth straight semester for her 4.0 GPA. Belogorska was also named to the 2021-22 Sun Belt Academic Commissioner's List.
A senior from Miami, Fla., Conklin earns the honor for carrying a 3.66 GPA in criminal justice and criminology. She hit .227 in 2023 with 11 doubles, five home runs and 24 RBI and graduated in May with her bachelor's degree. A two-time Sun Belt Commissioner's List honoree, Conklin also earned Honor Roll honors in 2023 from Georgia Southern.
Creamer, a senior from St. Johns, Fla., earns the honor for carrying a 3.93 in chemistry. She started all 51 games for the Eagles in 2023, hitting .169 with one home run and 10 RBI while committing only four errors in 131 chances for a .969 fielding percentage. A three-time Sun Belt Academic Commissioner's List honoree, Creamer graduated with her bachelor's degree in December of 2022 and is currently pursuing her master's degree from Georgia Southern in applied physical science with a concentration in pharmaceutical sciences.
Finally, Vinson earns her honor for carrying a 3.93 GPA in health and physical education. A native of Jefferson, Ga., Vinson is in her second year with the Eagles after transferring from Georgia College. She played in 26 games, starting 15, for the Eagles in 2023, hitting .143 with a pair of doubles and four RBI. Vinson earned Sun Belt Academic Commissioner's List honors in 2021-22 and earned Dean's List honors in the Spring of 2023 from Georgia Southern.
All five student-athletes will advance to national balloting for possible Academic All-America honors, which will be announced on June 6. To be eligible for CSC Academic All-District Softball honors, student-athletes must be a starter or important reserve with at least a 3.50 cumulative GPA at her institution.
