Softball CSC Academic All-District Announced

NORMAL, Ill. – College Sports Communicators has announced its Academic All-District team and the Illinois State softball program has earned five honorees, as announced by the organization on Tuesday. Fifth-year senior Kaili Chval, and juniors Delainey Bryant, Abby Knight, Addison Masching, and Bella Wilkerson were all honored.

The 2023-24 Academic All-District® Softball team, selected by College Sports Communicators, recognize the nation’s top student-athletes for their combined performances on the diamond 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.

Academic All-District® honorees advance to the CSC Academic All-America® ballot. First-team, second, and third-team Academic All-America® honorees will be announced later in the month.

In order to qualify, student-athletes must have 3.50 cumulative GPA and be an important starter or reserve, meeting minimum playing time requirements. The maximum number of nominees per school is five.

Chval is a fifth-year senior outfielder from Aurora, Ill., earned her first-ever CSC Academic All-District honor after the 2024 season. Chval also earned her first-ever MVC Scholar-Athlete Team honor after being named to the Second Team. She is a three-time Easton/NFCA All-America Scholar-Athlete, a recipient of the MVC Comissioner’s award in 2021, and a member of the MVC Honor Roll in 2020 & 2021. Chval earned All-MVC Second Team honors in 2021 in the same season she was apart of the Illinois State Softball Regular Season Championship team. In her last season game for the Redbirds, she etched her name in the record book, becoming fourth all-time in Illinois State history in career-games played at 218. Chval graduated with 3.71 GPA and a degree in Exercise Science, and will be heading to Boston to pursue OT school at Mass General Hospital Institute.

Bryant is a junior from Mattoon, Ill., and earned her second nod to the CSC Academic All-District Team after earning her second consecutive honor to the MVC Scholar-Athlete First Team. Bryant was a 2024 First-Team All MVC selection, as well as a 2023 Second Team honoree, while earning First-Team honors in her freshman year in 2022. Bryant is also a three-time Easton NFCA All-America Scholar-Athlete, a CSC Academic All-District honoree in 2023, and a member of the Illinois State AFNI Honor Roll. She boasts a 3.95 in Elementary Education, as well as earning a record-setting season in which she owned a 31-game consecutive reaching base streak, and back-to-back years with 50 hit seasons. She earned MVC Player of the Week on Mar. 26, as well as finishing the 2024 season leading the Valley in overall hits at 60. Byrant also earned back-to-back seasons with 50 hits.

Knight is a junior from Bloomington, Ill., earned her second nod to the CSC Academic All-District team in 2024. She earned her second nod to the MVC Scholar Athlete team as well, after being named an honorable mention in 2023. Knight is a three-time Easton/NFCA All-America Scholar-Athlete, a member of the Illinois State AFNI Honor Roll, and a member of the Illinois State team that earned back-to-back honors for having the second-highest GPA in the nation among Division I softball programs, while holding a 3.85 GPA in Public Relations. She was named MVC Player of the Week for the first time in her career in the 2024 season, as well as being named to the MVC All Tournament Team in 2024 and 2022. Knight earned both All-MVC Second Team honors in 2023, as well as to the CSC Academic All-District Team. She finished the 2024 season ranked no. 1 in putouts in the overall Valley statistics at 462, which put her at third all-time in single season putouts in the Illinois State record book. Knight also finished the season with 50 hits, making her the second member of the ‘Birds to finish with 50 hits in back-to-back seasons.

Masching is a junior from Pontiac, Ill., and earned her first-career nod to the CSC Academic All-District Team. In the same season, Masching also earned her first-ever MVC Scholar-Athlete Team honor. She is a three-time Easton/NFCA All-America Scholar-Athlete, as well as a member of the Illinois State AFNI Honor Roll, while earning a perfect 4.0 GPA in Physical Education in both 2023 and 2024. Masching also earned her first-career All-MVC honors after being selected to the Second Team in 2024. Masching had three home runs in the 2024 season, which included her first-career home run. She set career-highs in batting average (.265), home runs (3), and RBI (19).

Wilkerson, a junior from Mokena, Ill., earned her first-ever CSC Academic All-District Honor, in the same season as her first MVC Scholar-Athlete Team honor. She is a three-time Easton/NFCA All-America Scholar-Athlete, a member of the Illinois State AFNI honor roll, as well as a member of the Illinois State team that earned back-to-back honors for having the second-highest team GPA in the nation among Division I softball programs. Wilkerson also earned her first-career All-MVC honor, after being named to the All-MVC First Team for her role behind the plate. She set career-highs in hits (35), RBI (19), home runs (2), doubles (4), putouts (173), and assists (31). She boasts a 3.88 GPA in Public Relations.

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