The 2017 Alabama softball team was recognized for its excellence in the classroom Tuesday by the National Fastpitch Coaches Association, placing third on the 2016-17 Easton/NFCA Division-I All-Academic list with a 3.647 team GPA, the highest mark for any Super Regional or Southeastern Conference team.

The Crimson Tide was one of just five teams in Division-I softball to post a team GPA above 3.6 for the 2016-17 academic year, bettered only by Western Carolina (3.673) and Missouri State (3.648). Alabama is the highest-ranked team among the 16 from last year’s Super Regional round. Of the 150 teams on the NFCA’s list, only nine of the 16 Super Regional teams earned a spot. After Alabama, Kentucky is the next highest Super Regional team at No. 39.

The Tide was also the top Southeastern Conference team, with nine of the league’s 13 softball teams earning a spot on the list. UK was again the next-highest rated SEC team, followed by South Carolina (No. 51), Tennessee (No. 84), Mississippi State (No. 121), Georgia (No. 123), Texas A&M (No. 127), Florida (No. 130) and Ole Miss (No. 134).

Individually, 12 Alabama student-athletes earned NFCA Scholar-Athlete honors: Rachel Bobo, Elissa Brown, Gabby Callaway, Chandler Dare, Reagan Dykes, Caroline Hardy, Bailey Hemphill, Claire Jenkins, Sydney Littlejohn, Marisa Runyon, Merris Schroder and Demi Turner.

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