ORLANDO – As announced by CSC Academic All-District and All-America Tuesday afternoon, the UCF softball team saw five players earn selections to the CSC Academic All-District Team as voted on by college sports communicators.
First baseman Shannon Doherty, utility player Jada Cody, right-handed pitcher Kaitlyn Felton, catcher Ashleigh Griffin and right fielder Chloe Evans were all recognized for the combination of their accomplishments on the field and in the classroom, with each producing a GPA of at least 3.50. Accompanying the honor received by the five Knights, each will now be eligible for consideration on the CSC Academic All-American ballot, with the results to be announced June 18.
Cody, an NFCA All-Midwest Region First Team selection, produced a strong final season to conclude her five-year tenure in Orlando, recording a final .335/.390/.574 (59-for-176) line with 33 runs scored, 13 doubles, four triples, seven home runs and 28 RBI.
The Murrieta, California, native notably broke the UCF all-time career doubles record with the 51st of her career April 17, and concludes her Knights career ranking within the top four on the UCF all-time career doubles, home runs, RBI, slugging percentage, runs scored, batting average, total hits, on-base percentage and triples lists.
Among her counterparts in the Big 12, Cody’s four triples ranked tied for fourth most, and she also ranked tied for seventh in the conference with her 13 doubles. She also led the team with 101 total bases and a .574 slugging percentage (min. 100 at-bats), and her 59 hits and 13 doubles were both tied with Evans for the team lead.
Evans in 2024 earned a spot on the All-Big 12 Second Team, marking the second time in as many seasons with the Knights that saw her garner an all-conference second team honor. In addition to co-leading the team with Cody in hits and doubles, she hit .324/.359/.522 (59-for-182) with 34 runs scored, seven home runs, one triple and 39 RBI.
Her eight doubles in conference play ranked tied for third most, and she notched the third walk-off hit of her Knights career March 9 against the Kansas Jayhawks, an eighth-inning double that lifted UCF to the first Big 12 Conference series win in program history.
Doherty rode a prolific second half of the season to an All-Big 12 Second Team selection and recorded an overall .297/.412/.464 (41-for-138) line with 25 runs scored, five doubles, six home runs, 20 walks and 35 RBI.
The Knights’ veteran first baseman became the fourth player in program history to hit 30 home runs, as well as the 12th in program history to eclipse 200 hits, and helped turn 19 double plays, the second most of any player in the Big 12 this season. Her .475 on-base percentage in conference play ranked 10th in the league as well.
Felton enjoyed a strong junior campaign as she saw an uptick in workload as a key member of the Knights’ pitching staff. The Valrico, Florida, native threw a season-high 87 innings, posting a 3.86 ERA with a pair of shutouts. She notched her second consecutive season with at least 60 strikeouts as well, and recorded the third save of her collegiate career.
Felton threw at least seven innings on three occasions, highlighted by her eight-inning complete game against Kansas March 9 that clinched the first Big 12 Conference series win in program history.
She also tossed a seven-inning two-hitter against Kennesaw State March 3, as well as a one-hit seven-inning complete game shutout against Florida Atlantic April 17 that extended UCF’s season-long win streak to 10 straight games.
In her first season back on the field since she missed the 2023 slate due to injury, Griffin didn’t miss a beat, recording a single-season career-best .516 slugging percentage in 41 games, including 37 starts, at designated player and catcher.
The Newnan, Georgia, native made history as the first Knight to garner Big 12 Player of the Week honors for her efforts against the Houston Cougars April 12-14, homering in all three games while leading the Big 12 in slugging percentage (1.500) and total bases (15) during the week.
The redshirt-sophomore backstop produced an overall .274/.367/.516 (26-for-95) line with 13 runs scored, eight doubles, a season-high five home runs, 49 total bases, 14 walks and 24 RBI.
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