The University of Mississippi Athletics
Softball Player Is Honored
6/21/1999 | Softball
May 18, 1998
OXFORD, Miss., -- Stephanie Vaglica, a junior outfielder for the Ole Miss fastpitch softball team, was among 11 student-athletes from nine different schools named to the GTE/CoSIDA Academic All-America District IV Team, which was announced Monday.
The award honors student-athletes for their achievement in the classroom as well as on the playing field. Vaglica, who carries a 3.93 grade-point average in Accounting, earned a spot among the 11 student-athletes from the states of Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, New Mexico, Oklahoma and Texas. She will also be placed on the national ballot for GTE/CoSIDA Academic All-American honors, which will be released June 4.
Vaglica, a product of Hillsborough High School in Tampa, Fla., becomes the first member of the Ole Miss fastpitch softball team to garner the honor, following her second season with the Rebels. Vaglica started 61 games for Ole Miss and hit .244 for the season, while scoring 18 runs and driving in 14. She is the all-time leader in runs scored, and Vaglica posted a career-best eight-game hit streak from April 11-20.
This is the second time Vaglica has been honored for her achievement in the classroom, as she was named a 1997 Academic All-American by the National Fastpitch Coaches' Association (NFCA). Vaglica, who was selected to the All-Southeastern Conference Second Team following the 1997 season, is also a member of the Beta Gamma Sigma International Business Honor Society.
To be placed on the ballot for the GTE/CoSIDA Academic All-America award, a student-athlete must carry at least a 3.2 GPA or higher, be a sophomore or higher in class standing, and appear in at least 50 percent of the team's games.
Mississippi State sophomore catcher Kari McCallum joined Vaglica on the All-District Team, boasting a 3.64 GPA in Fitness Management.
The Rebels finished the 1998 campaign with a 26-40 record, 9-20 in the SEC.
