Five Softball players earn Academic All-District honors

AUSTIN, Texas (May 16, 2023) – Five Milligan University softball players collected Academic All-District honors from the College Sports Communicators on Tuesday.

All five players were also 2023 Milligan University graduates as outfielder Katie Cronin, pitcher Erin Forgety, utility Kate Pendleton, second baseman Grace Jones and shortstop Bailey Cantrell received academic honors.

Cronin, a nursing graduate with a .389 GPA, repeats as an Academic All-District selection as she was tabbed as a CoSIDA First Team Academic All-American last spring. The former Appalachian Athletic Conference (AAC) Player of the Year earned All-AAC First Team honors for the third straight season in 2023. Cronin graduated as Milligan's all-time batting average leader with a career average of .466. Cronin ranked second in the AAC this season with a .456 batting average. She added 18 extra-base hits and drove in 17 runs and stole 11 bases.

Forgety graduated as an electrical engineering and computer science major with a 3.88 GPA. In nearly 400 career innings for Milligan, she posted a 1.86 earned run average and was an All-AAC Second Team pick in 2021. This spring, she ranked in the top seven of the AAC in ERA, wins, complete games and strikeouts and led the Buffs to a 3-2 victory over No. 18 Tennessee Wesleyan.

Pendleton earned an exercise science diploma with a 3.81 GPA. In her senior season, Pendleton served as Milligan's No. 2 pitcher after not pitching since high school. At the plate, Pendleton hit .352 and led the Buffs in home runs (2) and RBI (25). A five-RBI game in Milligan's first AAC Tournament win since 2019 helped land Pendleton a spot on the AAC All-Tournament Team.

Jones graduated as a 3.76 student with degrees in exercise science and psychology. Jones led the AAC in batting average (.463) and on-base percentage (.550) in 2023 and repeated as an All-AAC First Team player. Jones set career highs in batting, on-base percentage, RBI (23), runs scored (35), walks (19) and stolen bases (19) this spring.

Cantrell graduated as a nursing major with a 3.61 GPA. She was a two-year starter and three-year contributor for the Buffs. In 2023, she played shortstop and set career highs in batting (.340), RBI (22) and runs scored (19).

CSC's Academic All-District program recognizes the nation's top student-athletes for their combined performance on the field and in the classroom. To be eligible for the award, voted on by Athletic Communication professionals, student-athletes must maintain a cumulative 3.50 GPA or higher and must have reached sophomore athletic and academic standing at their institution. Academic All-District honorees advance to the CSC Academic All-America ballot.