Bailey Hemphill Named Softball Academic All-America Team Member of the Year, Kaylee Tow Academic All-America

Alabama junior Bailey Hemphill is this year’s Google Cloud Division I Softball Academic All-America Team Member of the Year it was announced Thursday by the Collegiate Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA). Sophomore teammate Kaylee Tow also earned CoSIDA Academic All-America recognition.

Hemphill, who also earned First Team Academic All-America honors, is the 12th Alabama student-athlete to be named the Academic All-America Team Member of the Year and is the first since swimmer Anton McKee in 2017 (at-large). This is the Crimson Tide’s third such honor for softball, after Haylie McCleney won back-to-back awards in 2015 and 2016.

Hemphill carries a 3.99 cumulative GPA as a human development and family studies major. She earned Second Team Academic All-America honors last season, making her the seventh softball player in program history with multiple accolades. On the field, she earned NFCA Second Team All-America honors and broke the Alabama single-season records in home runs (26) and RBIs (84), tying the SEC record in the former.

Tow, who earned third-team honors this season, has a 4.00 cumulative GPA as a marketing major, earning President’s List distinction in each of her four semesters in Tuscaloosa. She was this year’s NCAA Elite 90 award recipient at the Women’s College World Series, awarded annually to the student-athlete with the highest cumulative grade-point average among the championship field for each of the NCAA's 90 men's and women's championships across its three divisions. On the field, she posted a .309 batting average and tied the Alabama single-season record with 66 walks.

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