GREENWOOD, Ind. – Senior first baseman Brooke Martin (Oakland, Maine), sophomore outfielder McKenzie Nazionale (Ontario, Calif.), sophomore pitcher Katie O'Connor ( Charlottesville, Va.), senior shortstop Ashleigh Tavaska (Jackson, N.J) and senior second baseman Grace Vondracek (Odessa, N.Y) have been named to the 2025 Collegiate Sports Communicators (CSC) Academic All-District Team for softball, the organization announced today.
Martin, a biology major, wrapped up her academic semester with an impressive 3.83 GPA. With a great performance at the plate, Martin was recognized as a two-time CSC Academic All-District honoree and two-time CACC All-Academic Team honoree. She ended her season with a strong .342 batting average.
Nazionale, a criminal justice major with a 3.6 GPA, had an outstanding season, earning numerous awards, including D2CCA Division II All-East Region Second Team, NFCA Division II All-East Region First Team, First Team All-CACC, and CSC Academic All-District. She ranked ninth in the CACC with a batting average of .392 and stole 21 bases, third-best in the league. Nazionale recorded 58 hits (6th in the conference), drove in 32 runs (6th), and crossed the plate 32 times (12th).
O'Connor, a Health Science major, completed the semester with a 3.94 GPA while she led the staff with a 3.13 ERA across 127 innings pitched. O'Connor is now ranked 16th in school history with 22 career victories, while her 241 innings pitched and 120 strikeouts both place her 15th in the Cougar records.
Tavaska, also a Health Science Major, finished with a 3.66 GPA as one of the most decorated careers as a Cougar. Her 2025 accomplishments include being named NFCA Third Team All-America, D2CCA Division II East Region Player of the Year, CACC Softball Player of the Year, D2CCA and NFCA All-East Region First Team and CACC Student-Athlete of the Month for March 2025. The two-time CACC Player of the Week honoree had an impactful season, slashing .442/.456/.838 for a 1.294 OPS. She tallied 17 doubles, 7 triples, and 10 home runs, scored 44 runs, and drove in 59 RBIs. As a four-year starter for the Cougars at shortstop, Tavaska leaves an impressive impact on the records, ranking 4th in program history in home runs (22), 8th in batting averages (.389), 3rd in RBIs (182), 5th in doubles (60), 1st in triples (16), 6th in runs scored (149), 9th in stolen bases (45), 1st in total bases (417) and 5th in slugging percentage (.627).
Vondracek, a forensic Biology major, ended her semester with a 3.65 GPA while making a huge impact on the field. Vondracek earned a series of top honors including D2CCA Division II All-America Second Team, D2CCA and NFCA First Team All-Region, All CACC First Team and CSC Academic All-District. Vondracek led the CACC and ranked 13th nationally with 42 stolen bases, while also leading the conference in batting (.456), on-base percentage (.556) and runs scored (56). She was named CACC Player of the Week on April 28th and is first in Caldwell history in batting (.475) and third in stolen bases (61)..
The CSC Academic All-America program separately recognizes softball honors in four divisions- NCAA Division I, NCAA Division II, NCAA Division III, and NAIA. The five cougars, along with the other Academic All-District honorees, are now considered for advancement to the CSC Academic All-America ballot. The First, Second, and Third-team Academic All-America Honorees will be announced later this month.
The full release with Academic All-District selections nationwide can be found here.
