BOONE, N.C. – The App State Softball quintet of
Marti Henkel,
Grace Barrett,
Ava Beamesderfer,
Sophie Moshos and
Summer Simpson all took home Academic All-District honors from the College Sports Communicators (CSC) for their work in the classroom this academic year this week.
The 2025 Academic All-District Softball teams recognize the nation's top student-athletes for their combined performances on the diamond and in the classroom. To qualify, a student-athlete must be a key contributor who earns at least a 3.50 cumulative grade point average (4.0 scale) and is at least a sophomore both academically and athletically.
Henkel paced the Mountaineers in the spring semester with a perfect 4.0 GPA and excelled on the field in her first season in the Black and Gold. She carried a .253 batting average, slashing 24 hits with six doubles and a home run. The home run was her first career home run and came in walk-off fashion to help the Mountaineers secure a home series win over Marshall on April 5. Henkel was also nearly perfect behind the dish for the Mountaineers as she posted a .994 fielding percentage and threw out six would-be base-stealers in 2025.
In addition to her 3.78 GPA in the spring, Barrett was named first-team All-Sun Belt, marking her first career postseason honor. Barrett owned the second-best batting average on the team this season, hitting .313, with 50 hits, a career-best five home runs and a career-best 34 RBIs. Starting nearly every game at shortstop, she smacked a career-best 10 doubles in her sophomore season, which helped her to a .469 slugging percentage and an .840 OPS.
Beamesderfer boasted a 3.68 GPA this spring, while also totaling 53 innings in the circle, a 4.75 ERA and four wins, the second-most on the team. She struck out 30 batters and allowed just 60 hits in 224 at-bats, marking a .268 opponent batting average, which was the second-lowest on the team. Beamesderfer earned a victory over Marshall on April 5 with four scoreless innings and allowed just one run over 12.1 innings at Georgia State to help her to two wins. Additionally, she earned her first career win against Utah Valley on Feb. 21 and notched her first career save against Buffalo on Feb. 22.
Moshos posted one of the best pitching seasons in program history while also maintaining a 3.94 GPA for the semester. She finished the year with 16 wins, a 3.51 ERA, 118 strikeouts, 13 complete games, 163.2 innings pitched and a .255 opponent batting average. Her 16 wins were the second-most in a season in program history, and her 118 strikeouts were the sixth-most in a season in program history. Moshos finished in the Sun Belt's top 15 in ERA (13th), wins (third), starts (third), complete games (second), innings pitched (third), strikeouts (fourth) and opponent batting average (10th). She garnered second-team All-Sun Belt honors, making her the second App State pitcher in the Sun Belt era to be named All-Sun Belt (Kenzie Longanecker, 2019 and 2021).
Carrying a 3.54 GPA, Simpson started in 40 games for App State and provided a .228 batting average and two home runs. Simpson spent the majority of her time in right field and was one of App State's most reliable gloves as she owned a .982 fielding percentage with three outfield assists. Simpson hit her first career home run on April 12 against ULM and bashed a long home run to center field against Coastal Carolina on May 3 to break the single-season home run record of 53 that was set by the 2022 team. Batting primarily from the nine-hole in the App State order, Simpson found success at flipping the Mountaineer lineup over, holding a .371 on-base percentage, which was the sixth-highest on the team.
Barrett was also selected as a nominee for CSC Academic All-America honors, making her one of nine Sun Belt players to advance to the national ballot. First-, second- and third-team Academic All-America honorees will be announced on Tuesday, June 17.
