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AUSTIN, Texas – The Otterbein University softball team brought in a pair of national awards Tuesday afternoon, receiving two spots on the Google Cloud Division III Academic All-America® Softball Team as voted on and announced by the College Sports Information Directors of America.

Recent graduate Maddie Flasco (Copley/Copley) and junior Alyson Shaw (Blacklick/Gahanna Lincoln) both represented Otterbein on the heralded first team as 33 total players were honored across the country. Flasco and Shaw were the only two selected from the state of Ohio.

"We can't always control our wins and losses on the field, but you can control your results in the classroom with consistent work ethic," head coach Christine Steines said. "We set the goal to have a team GPA of 3.5 or higher and these two girls are helping represent that initiative on a national level. They are students first and then have also been very good softball players. I am incredibly proud of them."

Flasco, a second baseman who posted a near-perfect 3.97 cumulative grade-point average in biology, makes a notable piece of school history by earning Academic All-American honors for a third time. She is just the third student-athlete in school history to accomplish the feat, joining a short list that includes men's golfer Andy Miller (2005-07) and then Kristen Bennett, who earned the honor twice in volleyball and once in track and field between 2011-12.

"I am so honored once again and it just credits our entire program for the commitment to both academics and athletics," Flasco said. "Being one of just a few to receive this recognition three times is very humbling because, beyond awards, I am proud to be part of and help represent a senior class that gave everything across four years. I cannot thank everyone enough for challenging me throughout college."

A 3x All-Ohio Athletic Conference performer, Flasco was in the starting lineup every game since arriving as a freshman and departs sharing the program record of 157 games played. Ranking second all-time at 522 at-bats, she recently hit over .300 for a fourth-straight year and had 27 RBI, 19 runs scored, seven doubles, a .940 fielding percentage and struck out just nine times.

"Maddie is intense on always doing the right thing and focuses toward being the best at whatever that current task is," Steines said. "She is competitive on the field, but also in the classroom and even just helping someone out in the real world. I think her receiving this award three times is a direct reflection of those qualities."

A team captain, Flasco was on the Dean's List every semester, has also received NFCA/Easton Scholar-Athlete recognition and holds volunteer experience with Animal Coliation, Ronald McDonald House and the Autism Awareness Society of Akron. She will soon be attending Cornell University to pursue a PhD in Plant Pathology.

Shaw, a 2017 All-American shortstop holding a perfect 4.00 GPA in education, now racks up a national honor for academics after another stellar year. A 3x All-OAC pick, Shaw started every game this spring and ranked top-three in the league for hits (62), runs (45), stolen bases (17) and triples (5). She went .413 at the plate from the leadoff spot, finishing with a .450 on-base percentage and .633 slugging percentage.

"It is such a privilege to be recognized as an Academic All-American and I couldn't have done this without the constant encouragement and support of teammates, coaches and family," Shaw said. "It is so special to be surrounded by people who never settle for less than success. I'm honored to be in a program that continues to get recognized for our efforts behind the scenes and I'm so blessed to be a Cardinal."

Also on the Dean's List every semester, Shaw is a 3x Academic All-OAC qualifier and is a member of the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee, Athletes in Action and the Student Education Association. In addition, she holds volunteer hours with Pointview Elementary, Emerson & Whittier Elementary and works as both a summer camp counselor and U8 softball coach.

"We are trying to teach Alyson that it's ok not to be perfect," Steines said with a chuckle. "But that mindset is what makes her so special, because she wants to make others happy and put everyone before her own success. When Alyson does well, she knows that correlates with helping someone else along the way. She wants to play her best on the field because it helps the team, and she wants to get good grades because she knows it will make her a better teacher."

Otterbein recently won its third-straight OAC regular-season championship, a span that has seen 96 wins, and cracked into the national rankings once again this spring.

Breakdown of the 33 national recipients this year landing on either the first, second or third team was 21 seniors, nine juniors and three sophomores. Makenzie Duncan of Saint Mary's College (Ind.) earned Academic All-America Player of the Year.

To be eligible for consideration, a student-athlete must be a varsity starter or key reserve, maintain a cumulative GPA of 3.30 on a scale of 4.00, have reached sophomore athletic and academic standing at his/her current institution and be nominated by their sports information director. Recent seniors Rachael Owens and Bailey McElwain had also advanced to the national ballot.