2025 ALL-GAC SOFTBALL TEAMS

BENTONVILLE, Ark. — The Great American Conference softball honors were released Wednesday night, and a trio of Reddies were honored for their accomplishments. Hilary Akers and Justine Burch were named to the All-GAC Second Team, while Josie Copeland was named an Honorable Mention All-GAC selection.

Akers, a Houston, Texas native, led the Reddies in most major offensive categories. She started all 53 regular season games, and paced the team in OPS, runs scored, hits, doubles, home runs, total bases, and slugging percentage. Her 18 doubles are good for second best in program history; she achieved the feat in five fewer games than Kelcie Glidden, who had 23 two-baggers in the 2006 season. 

Burch joined Akers on the Second Team. The senior outfielder was second on the team in runs and hits, and she led the team in stolen bases with 21, good for fifth in the league. The Greenbrier, Arkansas native also posted a .971 fielding percentage and had six outfield assists while leading all team outfielders with 94 putouts.

Copeland was named Honorable Mention in a season which she led Henderson in batting average (.389), was second on the team in OPS and third in both home runs and runs batted in. The senior from Justin, Texas also posted career bests in nearly every statistical offensive category.

The Reddies also had three GAC Elite Scholar-Athlete awards, given to student-athletes with perfect 4.0 GPAs. Kaylin Kauffman, Langley Miller, and Bayli Fillinger each received the academic recognition for Henderson State.

HSU is the No. 8 seed in the 2025 GAC Softball Championship and faces top seeded Southern Arkansas tomorrow at 1 p.m. in Bentonville.