For the third year in a row, Penn State Altoona softball infielder Gianna Hoppel, of Lewistown, was recognized by the College Sports Communicators for her academic success, as she was named to the organization’s NCAA Division III Academic All-District team.
GREENWOOD, Ind. — For the third year in a row, Penn State Altoona softball infielder Gianna Hoppel, of Lewistown, was recognized by the College Sports Communicators for her academic success, as she was named to the organization’s NCAA Division III Academic All-District team.
To be eligible for a spot on an Academic All-District softball team, student-athletes must meet certain academic and athletic requirements. Academically, student-athletes must be at least sophomores while holding cumulative grade-point averages of 3.5 or higher. Athletically, players must be starters or key reserves who have played in at least 90% of their team's games, or started two thirds of the games. For pitchers, a student-athlete must have made at least 17 appearances or pitched 35 innings. Nominators could submit up to four qualified student-athletes per team.
Hoppel, who graduated from Penn State Altoona earlier this May with a degree in elementary and early childhood education, was a second-team All-Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference selection this season at first base. She started all 38 games for the Lions and was first in the AMCC in hit by pitch (6), third in doubles (13), fourth in sacrifice flies (2), fifth in RBI (31) and batting average (.410), seventh in hits (48), total bases (67), and slugging percentage (.573), eighth in on-base percentage (.466), and 12th in runs scored (26) and home runs (2). She also led the conference in put outs (281) and double plays (9) while being 10th in fielding percentage (.933).
Penn State Altoona softball was 22-16 overall this past season, including going 10-6 in the AMCC and taking the number one seed in the conference postseason tournament, where the Lions ultimately finished as the runner-up.
