EVANSVILLE, Ind. – University of Southern Indiana Softball senior outfielder Mackenzie Bedrick (Brownsburg, Indiana), senior first baseman Lexi Fair (Greenwood, Indiana), junior infielder Hailey Gotshall (Lucerne, Indiana), and sophomore outfielder Caroline Stapleton (Shirley, Indiana) were named College Sports Communicators Academic All-District for NCAA Division I. Bedrick earns her third Academic All-District award as Fair, Gotshall, and Stapleton earn their first.
 
To be eligible for the CSC Academic All-District Award, the student-athlete must be a starter or important reserve with legitimate athletic credentials and at least a 3.5 cumulative grade point average (4.0 scale). They must have reached a sophomore athletic and academic standing at the institution and must have completed at least one full academic year at the institution.
 
Bedrick, a nursing major, was one of four USI players to start all 47 games in 2024. Patrolling centerfield for the Screaming Eagles, Bedrick batted .255 and led the squad with 16 stolen bases. Bedrick was third on the team with 16 runs. Bedrick started the season with a three-hit game against the University of Virginia on February 16 and had two Ohio Valley Conference games with two hits and two RBIs. Bedrick finished her USI career top 10 in USI history with a .343 career batting average and 64 walks. The outfielder also ended her career tied for fifth with 210 hits, sixth with 135 runs, and fifth with 66 stolen bases.
 
Fair was an All-OVC First Team selection this season after leading USI with a .345 batting average, a .940 OPS, 14 doubles, and a .440 on-base percentage. Fair was second on the team with a pair of home runs and 27 RBIs. The senior also started all 47 games this season. Fair ranked top 10 in OVC play in batting average, OPS, RBIs, and doubles toward receiving all-conference honors. The biology major registered five RBIs on two doubles in a win against Morehead State University on March 17 and was OVC Player of the Week after the final regular-season series at Western Illinois University where Fair had a home run and four RBIs. The first baseman ended her USI career third in program history with 46 doubles, tied for fifth with 21 home runs, and seventh with 119 RBIs while extending the all-time mark with 52 hit-by-pitches.
 
Gotshall started 46 games this year for the Screaming Eagles, hitting .273 and collecting 15 RBIs. Gotshall was third on the team with 10 doubles and had a triple and a home run on the campaign. The second baseman scored 14 times and delivered a pair of walk-off hits early in the season during the non-conference slate. The criminal justice major registered three RBIs and two doubles in a win against Tennessee Tech University on March 11 and hit a home run with two RBIs in a win against Southeast Missouri State University on March 30.
 
Bedrick, Fair, and Gotshall were previously awarded Academic All-Great Lakes Valley Conference accolades earlier in their USI careers.
 
Stapleton was an All-OVC Second Team selection in her sophomore season. Stapleton made 40 starts in 46 games played. The right fielder posted a .297 batting average with four extra-base hits and five RBIs. Stapleton led the team with 25 runs scored and was second with six stolen bases. Stapleton tallied four three-hit games this season against Jacksonville State University on February 25, Morehead State on March 17, the University of Tennessee at Martin on April 6, and Tennessee State University on April 28. Stapleton, a psychology major, also scored a season-high three runs against Tennessee State.
 
Southern Indiana ended the season with a 25-22 overall record. The Screaming Eagles went 16-11 to finish fourth in the Ohio Valley Conference regular season. Both win totals surpassed USI's marks in 2023. Plus, the Screaming Eagles went deeper into the Ohio Valley Conference Softball Championship Tournament compared to last season, as USI fell just short of an appearance in the championship round.