June 2, 2005

COLUMBIA, S.C. – South Carolina catcher Ashley Smith was announced to the ESPN The Magazine Academic All-America softball team Thursday. Smith, a junior, was named to the third team and out of 33 players, is one of four to boast a 4.0 cumulative GPA. This is the second straight year for Smith to earn Academic All-America honors. Last year, she was a second team selection to the Academic All-America Team.

A native of Kalamazoo, Mich., Smith has a 4.0 cumulative GPA in civil engineering and is a starting catcher/designated player for the Gamecock softball team. This year, Smith finished the season with a .256 batting average in 50 games and 46 starts. She tied for second on the team in doubles with eight and in home runs with four. Smith drove in 29 runs, also the second best on the team for the season. Named SEC Scholar Athlete of the Year for the second consecutive year, Smith hit .302 in SEC games with five doubles and a team leading 17 RBI.

Out of the 33 chosen players, Smith is one of four from an SEC school. Smith was selected to the All-District III team last month, which landed her a spot on the national ballot.

Earning the spot at catcher on the first team was Creighton senior Christine Fukumoto, who posted a 3.56 in mathematics. Senior Erin Myers from Cal Poly was the second team catcher selection with a 3.78 in journalism.