Senior first baseman Brianna Butler of the University of Missouri–St. Louis softball team has been named to the 2015 Capital One Academic All-America® Division II Softball Second Team, as selected by the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA).
Butler, who owns a 3.52 cumulative grade point average while majoring in education with an elementary education emphasis, becomes the 11th UMSL student-athlete to garner CoSIDA Academic All-America® honors and is the fourth softball student-athlete to receive the honor.
Butler started all 56 games for the UMSL Tritons this season, posting a batting average of .362. She recorded 59 hits, including a team-high and UMSL single season record 18 home runs, which ranked ninth in NCAA Division II. Butler also led the squad with 48 RBIs and a .755 slugging percentage and drew a team-high 38 walks.
Butler earned Third Team NFCA All-America and Honorable Mention Daktronics, Inc., All-America Honors and was a First Team All-GLVC and First Team All-Midwest Region honoree.
She helped UMSL to a a 48-8 record, GLVC regular season and tournament championships, a No. 1 national ranking and the program’s second straight NCAA Midwest Super Regional appearance.
To be eligible for CoSIDA Academic All-America® consideration, student-athletes must be at least a sophomore in academic standing with a 3.30 or higher cumulative grade point average and must be a starter or an important reserve and must be nominated by his/her sports information director.
Since 1952, CoSIDA has honored more than 20,000 outstanding student-athletes with this prestigious award, which became known as the Capital One Academic All-America® in 2011.
