MIDDLETOWN, Pa. – Thanks to their combination of athletic and academic success this spring, a pair of Penn State Harrisburg softball players in Lauren Hess and Madelyn Lehigh, as well as baseball player Hunter Merritt, have earned College Sports Communicators (CSC) Academic All-District honors.

The trio joins former baseball players Bret Williams and Drew Harshbarger, soccer players Sydney Hemler, Luke Myers, and Sarah Toche-Manley, women's basketball players Kendis Butler and Jayla Galbreath, and tennis players Brianna DeSantis, Derwin Merca, Nick Rohn, and Sarah Shaub as Penn State Harrisburg student-athletes to earn CSC (formerly CoSIDA) accolades.

The 2023 CSC Academic All-District Baseball and Softball Teams recognize the nation's top student-athletes for their combined performances on the field and in the classroom. The CSC Academic All-America program separately recognizes honorees in four divisions — NCAA Division I, NCAA Division II, NCAA Division III, and NAIA.

Lehigh recently became the first player in program history to earn all-region honors when she was named to the National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA) All-Region IV Second Team. She also secured United East All-Conference First-Team honors for the second straight season after winning the 2023 United East batting title. The sophomore turned in one of the best offensive seasons of any player in the country this spring, ranking sixth in the nation with a .575 on-base percentage and seventh in the country with a .509 batting average. She also ranks 16th among all Division III players with an .827 slugging percentage and leads the United East with a 1.402 OPS. Despite missing nine games, the Harrisburg, Pa. native racked up 56 hits, including 14 doubles, six triples, and three home runs. The shortstop scored 41 runs, drove in 23 more, walked 16 times, and tallied 91 total bases. Lehigh was also named to the United East Softball All-Sportsmanship Team earlier this month. She's also been strong in the classroom and currently holds a 3.68 cumulative GPA after earning United East Scholar-Athlete recognition a year ago.

Coming off a 2022 season that saw her earn United East All-Conference First-Team recognition, Hess appeared in 42 games this spring. The Perkasie, Pa. native tallied 13 hits, including a pair of doubles, to go along with 11 runs scored, eight RBI, and eight walks. The junior was also excellent from her center field position, recording a .980 fielding percentage with 95 putouts and four assists this season. She's also been stellar in the classroom, earning a pair of United East Scholar-Athlete accolades while holding an outstanding 3.99 cumulative GPA as a Civil Engineering major.

Merritt turned in a memorable senior campaign that saw him earn a pair of United East Pitcher of the Week accolades (2/27, 3/27) earlier this spring. The Etters, Pa. native made 13 appearances on the mound, with 11 starts and six wins. The righty threw 55.1 total innings and recorded a 4.23 ERA with 39 strikeouts on the year. The final win of the senior's career came against No. 2 Salisbury in NCAA Regional action when he threw the final 1.2 scoreless frames of a 12-11 victory on May 20. He's also been excellent in the classroom, racking up three United East Scholar-Athlete honors during his career. He recently graduated with a degree in Civil Engineering after posting an impressive 3.80 cumulative GPA.

Fans can keep up with Penn State Harrisburg Athletics all season long on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, and Youtube using the handle @pshbgathletics.