Five Chants Named to CSC Academic All-District Softball Team
5/17/2023 8:32:00 AM | Softball
CONWAY, S.C. – The Coastal Carolina softball team had five student-athletes in Iyanla De Jesus, Riley Zana, Abbey Montoya, Nicolette Picone, and Mady Volpe named to the Academic All-District Softball NCAA Division I team, selected by the College Sports Communicators (formerly CoSIDA).
The academic teams recognize the nation's top student-athletes for their combined performances on the field and in the classroom. The CSC Academic All-America program separately recognizes softball honorees in four divisions – NCAA Division I, NCAA Division II, NCAA Division III, and NAIA.
Student-athletes must be a starter or important reserve with at least a 3.50 cumulative grade point average (on a 4.0 scale).
Named to the 2023 Sun Belt Conference preseason team and earning a spot on the All-Sun Belt first team, De Jesus finished the season second on the team in hits (59), RBIs (38), and sacrifice flies (2) and finished top five in doubles (8), home runs (8), total bases (93), and slugging percentage (.547).
The senior finished ninth in the Sun Belt with 59 hits on the season and was atop of the team with a .347 batting average.
Zana utilized the long ball this season, recording seven home runs, five of which were hit with runners on base. The junior logged a new career-high of three runs in her 3-for-4 performance versus Colgate (Feb. 17) and tallied 14 multi-hit and nine RBI games on the year.
The second baseman led the team with seven sacrifice bunts and placed second with 11 doubles hit on the season.
Montoya, who recently received her master's degree in business administration earlier this month from Coastal Carolina, entered CCU's record book with 42 career stolen bases, which ranks her seventh in program history.
The shortstop secured two new career highs this year against Georgia State (March 25), where she recorded four hits and four runs to help Coastal secure an 11-3 win.
Picone has been a clutch relief pitcher for the Chanticleers, posting a team-leading 2.07 ERA while recording eight saves on the season, which ranks her first in the Sun Belt, third in the NCAA, and first in Coastal's record book for saves in a single season.
The sophomore posted an 11-4 record and pitched a career-high nine strikeouts in 6.0 innings of work to send the Chants to the 2023 Sun Belt Conference Tournament quarterfinals.
Fellow sophomore pitcher Volpe tripled her win total in the circle from her freshman year, posting a 9-1 record. Volpe recorded a 2.66 ERA, striking out 92 hitters on the year, including a career-high tying nine strikeouts in the game versus Saint Joseph's (Feb. 25).
The Lansdale, Pa., native made her mark in the Sun Belt rankings, placing ninth in hits allowed (81), 10th in runs allowed (47), and fifth in home runs allowed (4) during her 94.2 innings of work.
The Academic All-District honorees advance to the CSC Academic All-America ballot. First-, second, and third-team Academic All-America honorees will be announced on June 1.
For more information about CSC Academic All-District and Academic All-America Teams program, visit AcademicAllAmerica.com.
For complete coverage of CCU softball, follow the Chanticleers on social media at @CoastalSoftball (Twitter), @GoCCUSports (Instagram), and facebook.com/CCUChanticleers (Facebook) or visit the official home of Coastal Carolina Athletics at goccusports.com.
The academic teams recognize the nation's top student-athletes for their combined performances on the field and in the classroom. The CSC Academic All-America program separately recognizes softball honorees in four divisions – NCAA Division I, NCAA Division II, NCAA Division III, and NAIA.
Student-athletes must be a starter or important reserve with at least a 3.50 cumulative grade point average (on a 4.0 scale).
Named to the 2023 Sun Belt Conference preseason team and earning a spot on the All-Sun Belt first team, De Jesus finished the season second on the team in hits (59), RBIs (38), and sacrifice flies (2) and finished top five in doubles (8), home runs (8), total bases (93), and slugging percentage (.547).
The senior finished ninth in the Sun Belt with 59 hits on the season and was atop of the team with a .347 batting average.
Zana utilized the long ball this season, recording seven home runs, five of which were hit with runners on base. The junior logged a new career-high of three runs in her 3-for-4 performance versus Colgate (Feb. 17) and tallied 14 multi-hit and nine RBI games on the year.
The second baseman led the team with seven sacrifice bunts and placed second with 11 doubles hit on the season.
Montoya, who recently received her master's degree in business administration earlier this month from Coastal Carolina, entered CCU's record book with 42 career stolen bases, which ranks her seventh in program history.
The shortstop secured two new career highs this year against Georgia State (March 25), where she recorded four hits and four runs to help Coastal secure an 11-3 win.
Picone has been a clutch relief pitcher for the Chanticleers, posting a team-leading 2.07 ERA while recording eight saves on the season, which ranks her first in the Sun Belt, third in the NCAA, and first in Coastal's record book for saves in a single season.
The sophomore posted an 11-4 record and pitched a career-high nine strikeouts in 6.0 innings of work to send the Chants to the 2023 Sun Belt Conference Tournament quarterfinals.
Fellow sophomore pitcher Volpe tripled her win total in the circle from her freshman year, posting a 9-1 record. Volpe recorded a 2.66 ERA, striking out 92 hitters on the year, including a career-high tying nine strikeouts in the game versus Saint Joseph's (Feb. 25).
The Lansdale, Pa., native made her mark in the Sun Belt rankings, placing ninth in hits allowed (81), 10th in runs allowed (47), and fifth in home runs allowed (4) during her 94.2 innings of work.
The Academic All-District honorees advance to the CSC Academic All-America ballot. First-, second, and third-team Academic All-America honorees will be announced on June 1.
For more information about CSC Academic All-District and Academic All-America Teams program, visit AcademicAllAmerica.com.
For complete coverage of CCU softball, follow the Chanticleers on social media at @CoastalSoftball (Twitter), @GoCCUSports (Instagram), and facebook.com/CCUChanticleers (Facebook) or visit the official home of Coastal Carolina Athletics at goccusports.com.
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