GC Softball Players Receive All-America Scholar-Athlete Recognition

LOUISVILLE, Ky. - Five members of the Georgia College softball team have received National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA) All-America Scholar-Athlete recognition for the 2011-2012 season.

The five players who received this honor were Erica Bell (Fayetteville, Ga.), Caitlin Duvall (Douglasville, Ga.), Kristen Humphries (Columbus, Ga.), Natalie Lampert (Marietta, Ga.) and Mikayla Sparks (Macon, Ga.).

In order to receive this honor from the National Fastpitch Coaches Association, players must have a 3.5 grade point average (or higher) for the 2011-12 academic year.

Four of the players recognized were freshmen including Bell, Humphries, Lampert and Sparks. Duvall was a senior during the 2011-12 season and graduated in August 2012 with a 3.56 GPA, receiving her Bachelor of Arts degree.

A pitcher, Bell is a pre-nursing major and obtained a 3.63 GPA, while utility player, Humphries holds a 3.80 GPA with a major in biology. Lampert plays outfield and is a pre-special education major, receiving a 3.59 GPA last year. Sparks, an exercise science major, is an infielder and has a 3.50 GPA.

The Georgia College softball team finished last season with an overall 25-24 record and 9-11 in the Peach Belt Conference.

The four returners being recognized are now preparing for their upcoming sophomore season. The GC softball team will open a two-day tournament, the Bobcat Blast, on Feb. 2 at 11 a.m.

The Georgia College Department of Athletics, two-time winners of the PBC Commissioner's Cup, sponsors 11 varsity athletic programs at the NCAA Division II level. As a Division II program, Bobcat Athletics prides itself on balancing the life of the student-athlete, evidenced by the teams' multiple appearances in post-season competition as well as documented academic success and community-service involvement. Sign up at www.twitter.com/BobcatSports and www.facebook.com/gcbobcats for up-to-the-minute reports, and visit www.GCBobcats.com for more information, and to nominate your favorite former Bobcats and Colonials to the GC Athletics Hall of Fame.