NOTRE DAME, Ind. - Saint Mary's College Softball senior Sam Mikitka (Naperville, IL), junior Allie Moss (Goshen, IN) and sophomores Lydia Hinga (Portage, MI) and Hunter St. Peter (Traverse City, MI) were all named College Sport Communicators Academic All-District for NCAA Division III. This is the second consecutive year earning the honor for Mikitka while it is the first time for Moss, Hinga, and St. Peter.
 
To be eligible for the CSC Academic All-District Award, the student-athlete must be a starter or important reserve with legitimate athletic credentials and at least a 3.5 cumulative grade point average (4.0 scale). They must have reached a sophomore athletic and academic standing at the institution and must have completed at least one full year at the institution (transfer students are immediately eligible).
 
Mikitka, an elementary education major, played in 33 games for the Belles while making 27 starts and making 23 pitching appearances with 14 starts. She would finish the season with 21 hits and a .288 batting average while driving in 12 runs and scoring 10 of her own. Mikitka added a .316 on base percentage with two doubles and a triple and swiped five bases on the season. Pitching, she recorded a 5-11 record while tallying a team high 86.2 innings pitched with seven complete games. She also struck out 19 batters on the season.
 
Moss, a psychology major, played and started in all 40 games on the season, leading the team in at bats (116), runs (24), stolen bases (25), and tied for the lead in walks (17). Her 25 stolen bases is the most in a season in program history, setting the record in the first inning of game two at Hope College. She added a hit in 30 different games while stealing a base in 20. She finished the season with a .345 batting average and drove in 13 runs while scoring 34 of her own.
 
Hinga, a nursing major, played in 35 games while starting 32 for the Belles. She tallied 30 hits with a .370 batting average, third best on the team. She added a hit in 19 games while recording 10 multi-hit games. She drove in nine runs while scoring 17 of her own and added a .420 on slugging percentage and .427 on base percentage for an .847 OPS. Defensively, Hinga would throw out seven runners from behind the dish.
 
St. Peter, an exercise science major, played and started in all 40 games while ranking in the top five in almost every offensive category. St. Peter totaled 37 hits with nine extra base hits for a .356 batting average. The sophomore added a hit in 25 games while tallying 10 multi-hit games. She drove in 17 runs while coming in to score 18 times herself while posting an on base percentage of .389 and a slugging percentage of .490 for a .879 OPS.
 
The Belles finished the season with a 19-21 overall record and 6-10 MIAA record. Their 19 wins are the most in a season since 2018. They also saw a nine-win improvement in their second year under the direction of Head Coach Jordyn Walter. Statistically, the team improved drastically in every offensive category while also improving in multiple pitching statistics. 
 
View the CSC Official Release.