The Saluki softball team has knocked their academic achievements out of the park this season with the second-highest grade point average among Division I teams.

The National Fastpitch Coaches Association announced SIU as the recipient of honor for the team’s performance throughout the 2010-11 season. Members of the softball team earned a combined 3.611 GPA, and according to head coach Kerri Blaylock, the award is a reflection of the structure of the program as a whole.

Blaylock said support services play a major role in the success of the team, and the man in charge of providing those services is Jeff Jones, academic coordinator and advisor to the team.

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Jones said his job ranges from providing necessary school supplies to finding tutors for the athletes. He said the effort of the softball team makes his job much more rewarding.

“It has been a privilege to work with such an inspired and motivated group. This award shows how they are determined in every aspect of their lives,” Jones said. “They have played a big role in my life as well. I am so grateful to be able to work with these players.”

Blaylock said the players are  also responsible for the academic success.

“I give credit first to the athletes. They are the ones who have to buckle down and be disciplined academically,” Blaylock said.

Blaylock said this award is not only a positive for the softball team but for the university as a whole.

“This award is something people can read about  and be impressed by,” Blaylock said. “It shows that our student athletes can be successful and that they come here to get a great education.”

Senior outfielder Mallory Duran-Sellers said juggling Division I sports and achieving academic success can be difficult without the support. Duran-Sellers said she gives credit to her teammates for helping her with homework and being de facto tutors during road trips.

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“Bus rides help a lot when it comes to homework. Some girls have different strengths (in certain subjects) so it definitely helps when you have someone to study with,” she said.

Helping each other is an example Blaylock said she hopes to instill in her players, both on the diamond and in other aspects of their lives.

“I believe we try to teach disciple in the classroom, on the field, and in your personal life, as well as time management and maintaining priorities,” Blaylock said.

One of the main priorities Blaylock said she emphasizes in her players is classroom attendance. She said if players miss class they will have to miss games as well, regardless of the reason behind the absence.

“I give players two hiccups,” Blaylock said. “I want them to understand that if they don’t go to class and perform in the classroom, then they cannot perform on the field.”