Twelve softball players from the AMCC were recognized by the National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA) as scholar-athletes for the 2017-18 academic year. Pitt-Bradford saw a record number of Panthers earn this award with nine, while Franciscan University had three student-athletes recognized. 

The nine players honored for Pitt-Bradford is the most in a single season and now 58 Panthers have received NFCA Scholar-Athlete recognition since head coach Tina Phillips took the helm in 2003-04.

From the Panther roster, Gabby Carpenter, Kendra Colegrove, Betty Fratercangelo, Sophia Fratercangelo,  Maddy Hillery, Kerrigan Hoffmann, Jessica Milliron, Melissa Nye and Jordan Uhing all earned status as NFCA Scholar-Athletes for earning a 3.5 GPA or higher for the school year. For Betty Fratercangelo, Sophia Fratercangelo and Hillery, this marks the second-straight season receiving the honor. 

For the third-straight year, Barons Ashley Kondracki and Kathleen Thompson have earned the award while recent graduate Lindsey Finch earned her first NFCA academic honor. 

To qualify as an NFCA All-America Scholar-Athlete, a student-athlete must have acquired a 3.5 GPA for the academic year. 

The rankings and honors recognize the academic prowess of softball teams across the Association's membership categories. NCAA Division III led the way with 1,600 student-athletes earning a 3.5 grade-point average or higher for 2017-18. NCAA Division I and Division II followed with 1,311 and 1,026 honorees. High School weighted and High School unweighted earned 743 and 589 distinctions. Two-year colleges amassed 553 recipients and NAIA totaled 456.