CSC Academic All-America Team

Austin, TX - For the sixth straight year, a pair of UC softball players earned a spot on the CSC Academic All-America® Team. This year Carly Oliver and Amber Atkins takes home the distinction, announced by the College Sports Communicators (CSC), Tuesday afternoon.

Oliver and Atkins are just two of eleven softball players on first team, and one of just 23 softball players across the NAIA to make a team. Notably so, Atkins is one of five members of the Academic All-America Team with a 4.0 GPA. They join teammates Maddie Sickau (2022) and Hailey Wood (2021) and alumna Hannah Stephenson (2019 and 2020) as Patriots who have won the award.

Becoming an Academic All-American combines both athletic and academic success. On the diamond, Oliver led the Patriots with a 1.000 fielding percentage, tallying 211 chances with 108 putouts and 103 assists with eight double plays. Atkins follows with a .991 fielding percentage, tallying 115 chances with 106 putouts and eight assists while successfully throwing out three base runners. Both players were MSC Gold Glove recipients and First Team All-Conference selections while Oliver was named an NFCA Gold Glove recipient and the NAIA SB Defensive Player of the Year.

At the plate, Oliver led the team in home runs (10) while posting a .349 batting average and recording 65 hits. She tallied 29 extra base hits with 42 RBIs, 61 runs, and 117 total bases. Oliver posted an impressive .629 slugging percentage and .422 on base percentage. She stole 11 bases and tallied 17 walks on the season. Atkins followed with a .360 batting average on the season while recording 63 hits. She tallied 21 extra base hits with 51 RBIs, 21 runs, and 100 total bases. Atkins posted a .571 slugging percentage and .399 on base percentage. She stole two bases and tallied nine walks on the season.

Along with their athletic success, Oliver and Atkins get it done in the classroom. Atkins is an Exercise and Sport Science & Coaching double major. She has a 4.00 GPA and earned her first MSC Academic All-Conference award this season. Oliver is a nursing major with a GPA of 3.81. She is a four-time MSC Academic All-Conference honoree and three-time Daktronics NAIA Scholar-Athlete.

In a league of a select few, Oliver and Atkins are the only two members from the MSC schools to garner the award for softball and are two of seven student-athletes who competed at the World Series and earned the distinction. 

The CSC recognizes the nation's top student-athletes for their combined performances on the field and in the classroom. The CSC Academic All-America program separately recognizes softball honorees in four divisions — NCAA Division I, NCAA Division II, NCAA Division III and NAIA.

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