2024 CSC Academic All-District Softball Teams

GREENWOOD, Ind. – The academic and athletic success of Academy of Art softball junior utility Alexis Folks, senior infielder Elle Edeker, sophomore pitcher Kamielle Powell, and junior catcher Liberty Herrera was recognized in Tuesday's announcement of the 2024 College Sports Communicators Academic All-District Team selections.

The 2024 Academic All-District softball teams, selected by CSC, 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.

New to the program this season, Folks supported 3.66 cumulative grade point average in the School of Communications & Media Technologies and made an immediate impact by starting many a rally at the top of the ART U batting order. The team's leader in batting average, she hit .313 (12th in the Pacific West Conference) while ranking fourth in walks (24, sixth-most in ART U single-season history), seventh in on-base percentage (.418), and 18th in runs scored (17). She added seven runs batted in, two doubles, and four stolen bases as a starter in all 44 games and would earn All-PacWest Third Team for her efforts.

Folks proved to be a super-utility competitor in her debut year with the program, nearly evenly splitting her playing time across third base (17 games), outfield (17 games), and designated player (15 games). The Wheat Ridge, Colo. native had a hit in each of her first six contests (scoring a run in four of the six) with two of her 11 multi-hit games coming during that span. Never going more than two consecutive games without a hit, Folks saw her bat catch fire in the month of April where she batted .358 (14-for-39) with six runs scored over 12 contests.

Competing in her final collegiate season, Edeker served as a consistent starter for the Urban Knights while working toward a 3.58 cumulative GPA in the School of Architecture, one of the hardest majors at Academy of Art. The native of Montrose, Colo. Started 32 of her 36 games played in 2024 and finished with a .212 batting average along with five RBIs, seven runs scored, and one double.

Edeker, a two-time Academic All-PacWest Team selection as well as an Easton/NFCA All-America Scholar-Athlete and D2 ADA Academic Achievement Award winner last year, began her senior campaign on a strong note, going 3-for-3 with one RBI and one run scored in her first game of the season against Menlo on Feb. 2. Later that month she scored what would be the winning run against Biola on Feb. 24 and then recorded a hit in 11 of 13 games across March and April, enjoying a five-game hit streak during that stretch.

The team's lone left-handed pitcher in a four-arm rotation, Powell contributed innings both as a starter and in relief in addition to standing out with a 3.59 cumulative GPA in the School of Advertising. Making seven starts as part of her 18 appearances in the circle, the Fresno native finished with the lowest earned run average on the squad (4.20), a 2-4 record, two complete games one shutout, and 15 strikeouts in 51.2 innings pitched.

Adding a CSC academic honor to her Academic All-PacWest Team and Easton/NFCA All-America Scholar-Athlete awards from last season, Powell highlighted her sophomore season with her second collegiate shutout with only five hits and three walks allowed plus a season-high four strikeouts in a complete 7.0 innings of work to power a 1-0 victory over Simon Fraser on Feb. 16.

Quickly becoming ART U's starting catcher in first year with the program, Herrera carried over strong academic efforts from her previous school toward a 3.57 cumulative GPA in the School of Fashion Design. She joined Folks as one of just three Urban Knights to start every game and, in so doing, broke the program's single-season record with 15 runners caught stealing while leading the team with a .995 fielding percentage by way of 161 putouts and 29 assists to just one error in 191 chances. With the bat, she added two doubles, seven runs scored, five RBIs, and a team-best five sacrifice hits.

Herrera delivered at least one hit in five of her first eight games with Academy of Art this year, marking that stretch with a season-high two runs scored part of a 2-for-4 effort versus Menlo on Feb. 3 as well as a 3-for-3 performance against Cal State East Bay on Feb. 14, logging a double and one run driven in on that occasion. The native of Magnolia, Texas would also figure prominently in the Urban Knights' doubleheader sweep of Chaminade on Apr. 7, ending that day 3-for-7 with one RBI and two runs scored.

These are the first CSC Academic All-District honors for Folks, Edeker, Powell, and Herrera in their respective careers.