TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (seminoles.com) – Rising senior Kelly Hensley of the Florida State softball team headlines the 2013 All-ACC Academic Softball Team by earning the ACC Softball Scholar-Athlete of the Year award, announced on Monday by Commissioner John D. Swofford.
With the ACC Scholar-Athlete of the Year awards being established in 2007, Hensley is the first Florida State softball student-athlete to earn the top-notch academic honor. It is awarded annually to the top junior or senior student-athlete in their respective sports. Candidates for the awards must have maintained a 3.0 grade point average for their career as well as a 3.0 for each of the last two semesters.
Joining Hensley on the ACC Academic Softball Team are three-time all-academic selection Jessica Nori, second-time selection Bailey Schinella and first-time selection Monica Perry. This is the second time Hensley has been chosen to the All-ACC Academic Softball Team.
“Kelly Hensley epitomizes what our program is all about. We’re always trying to produce great players but even greater people who give themselves a chance to be successful in life,” head coach Lonni Alameda said. “I’m so proud of the hard work Kelly has put in to earn this award; it is a great testament to the daily grind she goes through in her studies and on the field.
“I’m also very proud of Bailey, Jessica and Monica. They represent our program in a first-class manner along with the rest of our team. It’s always a pleasure coaching these girls and I always get excited for the academic accomplishments they attain. They all have a wonderful academic advisor and academic staff to work with.”
An exercise science major, Hensley was named to the Capital One Academic All-America Third Team and to the Capital One Academic All-District IV First Team. The infielder earned a spot on the Dean’s List for both the fall and spring semesters and is an ACC Top Six for Service Award winner.
A native of Niceville, Fla., Hensley led the Seminoles with 54 RBIs to tie for the third-most in school history. She hit .315 with 13 home runs, 110 total bases, and compiled a .618 slugging percentage with an on-base percentage of .427. She ranked in the top 10 in the league in RBIs, total bases, doubles, walks, home runs, slugging percentage, and on-base percentage.
Perhaps Hensley’s most famous feat of the 2013 season was her miraculous grand slam in the winner-takes-all game of the NCAA Mobile Regional against South Alabama. With Florida State trailing 6-2 with two outs and the bases loaded in the top of the seventh, Hensley connected on a game-tying grand slam to keep Florida State’s season alive.
A home run by Victoria East in the eighth inning and some shutdown relief pitching by fellow All-ACC Academic Team selection Monica Perry advanced the Seminoles to their first NCAA Super Regional since 2006.
Hensley’s year was also highlighted by her second straight Golden Torch Award for her academic success. Hensley also won the team’s Golden Nole Award for her substantial efforts in community service. The aspiring medical school attendee also shared the team’s co-MVP honors with Courtney Senas.
In the summer 2012, Hensley visited Lima, Peru with Medlife and shadowed physicians and dentists who performed surgical procedures. During her time in Peru, Hensley helped take vitals, assist the dentists in small procedures and took part in a community development project where she built stair cases for civilians living in unsafe villages at the top of the mountains. She continued to shadow doctors throughout the year, sometimes missing practices.
