Trio of Jayhawks Named NFCA All-America Scholar-Athletes

LAWRENCE, Kan. – For the second year in a row, Kansas softball tied its record of student-athletes to garner Academic All-American honors after Maddie Stein, Sophia Templin and Erin McGinley were named 2015 National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA) All-America Scholar-Athletes on Tuesday afternoon.

Stein earned the accolade for the second time in her career, while Templin and McGinley were recognized for the first time as Jayhawks. The trio of honorees ties for the most in a single season for KU since Stein, Nikki Bruce and Alex Jones each earned NFCA academic honors at the end of the 2-14 season. Prior to that the only other time that three Jayhawks were awarded academic achievements by the NFCA was in 1993. All three Jayhawks also were named to Academic All-Big 12 teams in 2015.

A 2015 graduate of Kansas, Stein collected All-Big 12 Second Team and All-Defensive Team honors as a senior. She claimed Kansas softball’s all-time RBI record after driving in 141st career RBI against Georgia State (3/22). Stein finished her career first in RBIs (150), tied for fourth in batting average (.349), tied for third in doubles (47), tied for fourth in hits (219), sixth in total bases (307) and 10th in slugging percentage (.490).

Templin, a junior for De Soto, Kansas, made two starts and 19 appearances in the circle last season. She recorded a team-best 2.95 ERA with a 5-2 mark. Templin tossed 42.2 innings while striking out 33 batters. She tallied a career-best eight strikeouts against Texas (3/27).

A Prairie Village, Kansas native, McGinley appeared in 23 games and started 15 contests during her freshman campaign. She hit .179 on the season with seven hits, two runs scored and six RBIs. McGinley registered her first career multi-hit game with two against Missouri (5/17).

To be eligible for NFCA All-America Scholar-Athlete honors, individuals must achieve a 3.5 GPA or higher.

The Jayhawks began their Fall slate on Oct. 1 against Baker, the first of eight contests in the month of October for KU. Kansas returns seven starters and 16 letterwinners from last year’s roster, while welcoming nine newcomers, including seven freshmen and two transfers.

KUAthletics.com: The official online source for Kansas Athletics, Williams Education Fund contributions, tickets, merchandise, multimedia, photos and much,
much more.