ITTA BENA -- Seven current and former Mississippi Valley State softball players have been recognized by the National Fast-Pitch Coaches Association for their performances in the classroom.

Katrisha Arocha, Ashley Hobbs, Yasmin Battle, Nicole Burr, Brianna Holmes, Shana Ladner and Alexandra Sullivan have been named 2012 NFCA All-America Scholar Athletes.

The award is bestowed upon any player submitted by a member coach who achieved a 3.50 grade point average or higher during the 2011-12 academic year. The honor marks the second component of the Association’s academic award program. Back in late October the squads with the highest GPAs in each membership category were recognized as 2012 NFCA Top Ten All-Academic Teams.

As a team, MVSU finished the year with a 3.227 GPA, which ranked them 60th amongst 91 participating Division -I teams.