Homer named first-team all-academic
6/16/2016 1:07:00 PM | Softball
HUNTSVILLE – Sam Houston State softball's Breanna Homer has been named to the First-Team All-Southland Conference Academic squad after a strong season in the classroom and on the field, the league office announced Thursday.
The LaGrange product owns a 3.28 grade point average and is majoring in health at Sam Houston. The junior was one of just 12 players to receive first-team honors across the conference.
Homer, who was in her first season with the program and is a three-year letter-winner in volleyball, batted .346, starting all 54 games, while leading the Bearkats in home runs (9), RBIs (42), total bases (99), slugging percentage (.611), walks (24) and on base percentage (.430).
“It just goes hand in hand with what she accomplished up to this point,” Sam Houston head coach Bob Brock said of the athletic and academic success. “Being able to play volleyball and softball and be able to maintain her grades shows what kind of athlete she is. She has three major responsibilities and she has done a great job keeping up with those.”
The third baseman earned first-team all-conference honors as well this season while helping lead Sam Houston to its 13th appearance in Southland Conference postseason play.
During the year, Homer posted a team-leading 11 multi-RBI games, including seven three-RBI performances. She also collected 19 multi-hit games, ranking second only to Dani Allen, and reached base safely in 23 straight games.
“I think she meant a lot to this team this year,” Brock said. “She hadn't played in a while and it took her some time to get started but I knew she would be an impact player. She ended up batting number three and makes all conference; it meant a lot to us. Her work ethic is impressive.”
As a team, the Bearkats posted a 3.21 overall GPA during the 2015-16 academic year including an impressive 3.27 GPA this spring. The success came during a season in which the program returned only nine letter winners from the previous year and on the field, rallied to finish Southland play with 11 wins in 18 games.
“It all starts in the recruiting process,” Brock said. “I make sure their grades are above average. If you get in trouble, the athletic department has a lot of assets to help you. We stay on top of it. I review six times a year evaluations from their professors.”
