UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – The Penn State softball program placed a quintet of student-athletes on the College Sports Communicators Academic All-District Team for the 2024 season, the organization announced.
CSC seeks to honor and celebrate student-athletes who represent the highest caliber of academic and athletic achievement through the annual Academic All-District and Academic All-America programs. Those individual athletes selected for the Academic All-District Team will be entered into consideration for the Academic All-America Team later this month. The Nittany Lions placed senior catcher Gaby Garcia, junior utility Maddie Gordon, senior outfielder Liana Jones, senior infielder Emily Maddock and senior infielder Kaitlyn Morrison on this year's softball Academic All-District squad.
Garcia, a native of Southlake, Texas, led the Nittany Lions in OPS this season with a 1.071 mark at the plate, cranking 11 home runs and 10 doubles while ranking second on the team in total walks this year with 20. Over the course of her collegiate academic career, Garcia landed a pair of team awards at SFA for her academic prowess and has been named an Easton/NFCA Scholar-Athlete on multiple occasions. Garcia earned her bachelor's degree in marketing from Stephen F. Austin State University and garnered a graduate certificate in business management foundations from Penn State earlier this spring. She will continue her education by pursuing a postgraduate degree in nursing at the end of her time in Happy Valley.
Gordon, a native of Shenandoah, Virginia, turned in one of the strongest offensive seasons in Penn State history in 2024, finishing with the sixth-most doubles and fourth-most home runs in a single season in the Nittany Lion record book. Gordon turned in 16 doubles, a triple and 13 homers in addition to 41 RBI all while batting an impressive .335 at the plate. In addition to her success on the diamond, Gordon pairs her first-ever College Sports Communicators Academic All-District appointment to recognition a season ago as a Big Ten Distinguished Scholar, Academic All-Big Ten selection and Easton/NFCA Scholar Athlete. Gordon is currently pursuing a double major in Recreation, Park and Tourism Management as well as Human Development and Family Studies.
The Langhorne, Pennsylvania, native Jones saved her best for last in 2024, booking the best batting average of her collegiate career with a .295 mark, pairing that with 12 doubles, four triples and a career-high nine home runs for an impressive season-long OPS of 1.005. In the classroom, Jones has been named to the Academic All-Big Ten honor roll in each of the last two years and has been named an Easton/NFCA Scholar-Athlete every season in which she was eligible. Liana graduated from Penn State with a bachelor's degree in finance and will begin her career with finance and performance management consulting firm, Protiviti, in the coming weeks.
Maddock, a native of Kempton, Pennsylvania, completed her collegiate career at PSU as one of the best pure hitters the program has seen, clocking a .330 career batting average that featured 101 career hits. The veteran third baseman turned in a .297 season at the plate in 2024, logging a career-high 52 hits with additional career-best marks in doubles with nine and triples with four. In the classroom, Emily has previously been named to the College Sports Communicators Academic All-District and Academic All-Big Ten Teams in addition to recognition as an Easton/NFCA Scholar Athlete. Maddock graduated from Penn State with a bachelor's degree in marketing and has already started preparing for her career in the marketing field.
A routine playmaker in the Nittany Lion lineup over the past few years, Morrison completed her stint in the Blue & White ranked tied for third all-time at PSU for career doubles with 43. The South Park, Pennsylvania, native booked a 2024 season that saw her hit .333 with a single-season program record-tying 18 doubles, six triples and five homers. She has previously been named a CSC Academic All-District choice, a Big Ten Distinguished Scholar, an Academic All-Big Ten team member and an Easton/NFCA Scholar Athlete during her Nittany Lion career. Kaitlyn graduated from Penn State with a bachelor's degree in middle level education and will look to begin her career as an educator in the coming months.
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