INDIANAPOLIS – Two members of the 2025 Eastern Kentucky University softball program in
Kennedy Drafton and
Maddi Rutan, have been named to the College Sports Communicators' Academic All-District Team as announced by the organization on Tuesday.
The 2024-25 Academic All-District Softball Team, nominated by sports information directors, recognizes the nation's top student-athletes for their combined performances on the court and in the classroom.
Academic All‐District honorees advance to the CSC Academic All‐America ballot to be selected by CSC members. First, second, and third team Academic All‐America honorees will be announced in early June.
Drafton adds the honor to her First Team All-ASUN honors in the infield selection this season, following up her All-Freshman team selection from the 2024 season.
In the classroom, Drafton recorded a 4.0 GPA in the spring semester with a cumulative GPA of 3.94 as a marketing major.
This past season, she made 53 starts at second base for the Colonels, finishing with a fielding percentage of .957 and turning seven double plays over the course of the season. Offensively, Drafton tallied an impressive .356 average with a .610 SLG% and .489 OBP.
She racked up 45 RBIs on 52 hits, including 9 home runs and 10 doubles. She also led the ASUN in runs scored at 52.
Rutan earns the honor as a Fire Protection Administration major with a 3.8 spring GPA and a 3.67 cumulative GPA.
Being named First Team All-ASUN pitcher and Second Team All-ASUN infielder earlier this year, the two-way sophomore led the team and finished top five in the ASUN in most categories, both in the batter's box and in the circle.
Pitching, Rutan racked up 227 strikeouts in 176.0 innings of work, tied for the 11th-most in the NCAA. She finished with a record of 18-10 alongside two saves in 33 total appearances, allowing an ERA of 2.27 and an opponent batting average of .192.
Batting, Rutan totaled a batting average of .413, a slugging percentage of .790, and an on-base percentage of .559. The sophomore tallied 61 RBIs, tying the single-season program record, with 13 home runs on 59 hits. Rutan also broke the program single-game records for RBIs with 9 in one game against Bryant on Feb. 14, as well as the single-game record for home runs, recording 3 against Morehead State on Apr. 2. She finished the season with a .986 fielding percentage with 25 appearances at first base.
