Following another successful season on the field, the FGCU softball program saw 11 members earn recognition for their academic success from the National Fastpitch Coaches’ Association. The Eagles received 11 All-America Scholar-Athlete honorees, the NFCA announced.
The accolade recognizes all softball players who achieve a grade point average of 3.5 or higher. The Eagles are one of just 39 Division I teams nationwide with double-digit representation. Of the nation’s 293 teams, just 15 saw more team members on the list than the Green and Blue.
“I am so proud of this group of young women,” said head coach David Deiros. “We strive to be successful on the field and in the classroom and it is gratifying to see these student-athletes honored for their achievements.”
FGCU’s honorees for the 2014 season are Jeanie Verderese (Jacksonville, Fla./Creekside High School), Kelsey Carpenter (Oviedo, Fla./Hagerty High School), Taylor Wade (Pace, Fla./Pace High School), Kirsten Bembnowski (Palm Harbor, Fla./East Lake High School), Brittney Garabedian (Miami, Fla./Gulliver Prep High School), Regan Knapik (Land O’ Lakes, Fla./Wiregrass Ranch High School), Jackie Owen (Cape Coral, Fla./North Fort Myers High School), Hannah Horwath (Lake Mary, Fla./Lake Mary High School), Louie Ross (Cape Coral, Fla./Ida S. Baker High School), Amanda Josie (Estero, Fla./Estero High School) and Chelsea Zgrabik (Venice, Fla./Venice High School).
The list includes three 4.0 performances and six athletes who received their undergraduate degrees in the spring.
Verderese, Carpenter and Wade – who all return for the 2015 season – each earned a grade point average of 4.0 both in the spring of 2014 and cumulatively for the 2013-14 academic year. The list also saw seven athletes with marks of 3.8 or above.
Last season, Carpenter and Zgrabik were both honored by the Atlantic Sun Conference as part of the All-Academic Team. Carpenter led the team both on and off the field during the 2014 campaign. As a junior, the exercise science and pre-physical therapy major held a cumulative grade point average of 3.94, while leading the conference with a batting average of .431. She recorded 10 doubles and nine home runs with 71 hits on the year and held a slugging percentage of .671. She finished the season and the academic year with a perfect 4.0 grade point average. As a senior this year, Carpenter is now a two-time Atlantic Sun academic honoree, a two-time Atlantic Sun All-Conference award winner and a two-time NFCA All-South Regional First Team member.