Pitt Softball: All-ACC Academic Team

Last Thursday, two members of the Pittsburgh Panthers softball team were named to the All-ACC Academic Team: recent graduate Kaitlin Manuel and sophomore Olivia Gray.

In order to be eligible for the team, a student-athlete must maintain a 3.0 GPA from the most recent semester as well as carry a cumulative 3.0 GPA throughout their academic career. While conference teams generally revolve around recent performance on the field, the academic team places an even greater emphasis on consistency.

Manuel was a first-time selection with a 3.56 GPA in her final semester at Pitt, finishing with a degree in economics. She started all 47 games for the Panthers this past season, and led the ACC with 415 putout chances and a team-high 401; she also fielded 21 double plays. With 25 RBIs, Manuel was tied for second on the team along with the aforementioned Gray and McKayla Taylor.

Gray earned her second straight All-ACC Academic Team with a 3.75 GPA this past spring. She also started every game for Pitt last season while leading the team in hits (42), runs (34), walks (24), and OBS (.405). Gray also finished second on the team with .290 batting average, nine doubles, 72 total bases, and a .497 slugging percentage. For good measure she also went yard seven times, which was the third most on the team.

In total, there were 28 members of the 2017 All-ACC Academic Team, from 11 different universities. Florida State led the conference with seven total selections, and senior Alex Powers was named the 2017 ACC Softball Scholar-Athlete of the year.