RUSSELLVILLE, Ark. – The Harding softball team had seven players named All-Great American Conference Wednesday. Chelsea Blankenship, Jordan Cabana, Macy Ham and Riley Price were named first team All-GAC. Abby Burch was named to the second team and Kaya Lee and Lana Danielson were named honorable mention.
It is the third time Harding has had seven players named All-GAC. The Lady Bisons had nine players in 2023 and eight players in 2017.
The Lady Bisons also had players recognized for their work in the classroom. Chelsea Blankenship, Ashton Bryce, Madison Fraley, Macy Ham, Katie Pierce and Riley Price received GAC Distinguished Scholar Athlete, and Tedi Nunn received GAC Elite Scholar Athlete. The GAC Distinguished Scholar Athlete is awarded to student-athletes in the conference tournament with a GPA of 3.70 or higher and at least 70 credit hours. The GAC Elite Scholar Athlete is given to an athlete with a GPA of 4.00 and at least 70 credit hours.
Chelsea Blankenship, a senior from Haslet, Texas, earned her fourth All-GAC honor. It is also the third time she has been named to the first team. It is the second straight year she has been a distinguished scholar athlete. Blankenship has started and played in all 50 games at catcher for Harding. She has a .302 batting average with 45 hits, seven doubles and six home runs.
It is the first time in her career, Jordan Cabana, a senior from Fairview, Texas, has been named All-GAC. Cabana has a .384 hitting percentage with 56 hits, six doubles, four triples and seven home runs. She also has 46 RBI's.
Macy Ham, a junior from Arrington, Tennessee, picked up her second straight All-GAC honor. She was also named to the first team last season. It is the first time she has been named a distinguished scholar athlete. Ham leads all of the GAC with a .421 batting average. She has racked up 72 hits, and has scored 39 runs. She set a new school record with 36 stolen bases this season.
Riley Price, a junior from Edgewood, Texas, earned her second straight All-GAC honor. She was named to the first team last season. It is also her first distinguished scholar athlete award. Price leads the team with a 2.60 ERA. She leads all of the NCAA Division II with 42 appearances this season. Price has thrown six complete games, had four shutouts and leads the league in saves with five. She has a 18-10 record in the circle this season.
Abby Burch, a senior from Romance, Arkansas, picked her second straight All-GAC honor. She was named first team last season. Burch has a 3.22 ERA this season and a 13-6 record. She has thrown 130 1/3 innings this season and has struck out 63.
It was the first time Kaya Lee, a junior from Frisco, Texas, has been named All-GAC. She has a .358 batting average with 43 hits and 17 runs scored for Harding.
Lana Danielson, a freshman from Garland, Texas, earned her first All-GAC honor. Lana has a recorded 18 hits for Harding with two doubles and two triples.
