Griffin, O'Neal, Johnson honored for work in classroom and on field

RINDGE, N.H. (May 17, 2010) – Junior second baseman Emily Griffin (Leominster, Mass.), sophomore third baseman Meaghan O'Neal (Littleton, Mass.) and junior pitcher Kayla Johnson (Hudson, N.H.) of the Franklin Pierce University softball team have all been named to the CoSIDA/ESPN: The Magazine Academic All-District I Third Team.

To be eligible for selection, each student athlete must own a 3.30 cumulative grade-point average or higher, be at least a sophomore in academic standing and be a starter or significant contributor athletically. The Academic All-District and All-America teams are voted on by sports information directors in the district and nation, respectively.

Griffin currently holds a near-perfect 3.94 grade-point average as a biology major. She started all 43 games for the Ravens at second base this spring and posted a .266 batting average (38-for-143) with 12 doubles, one triple and one home run. Griffin drove home 16 runs, scored 20 times, posted a .385 slugging percentage and stole three bases in five attempts.

O'Neal has a 3.71 grade-point average as a sports and recreation management major. O'Neal started all 43 games for Franklin Pierce at third base and finished second on the team in hitting at .304 (35-for-115) with seven doubles and one home run. She drove in a team-best 22 runs, scored seven times, worked 11 walks, slugged .391 and posted a .369 on-base percentage.

Johnson has posted a 3.37 grade-point average over her first three years as a graphic communications major. Over 23 appearances (17 starts) in the circle, she posted a 6-13 record with a 3.60 earned-run average, nine complete games and two shutouts. Over 105 innings of work, she allowed 72 runs (54 earned) on 129 hits, walked 42 and struck out 52.

The Ravens wrapped up their 2010 campaign at 15-28 (10-20 Northeast-10). The 10 Northeast-10 Conference victories matched a program record for most conference wins in a season, which was originally set in 2002.