ASHLAND – Lauren Quirke was among 11 softball players tapped for the NAIA Academic All-District 4 team Thursday by the College Sports Information Directors of America, making her Southern Oregon University's sixth student-athlete to receive the honor during the 2019-20 academic calendar.

The annual team is designed to recognize the top student-athletes in the country for a combination of their academic and athletic accomplishments. Quirke, a senior NAIA All-American third baseman and pitcher, is a communications major with a cumulative 3.50 GPA.

A total of 46 Academic All-District softball players were named throughout the NAIA, each of whom will be eligible for Academic All-America consideration. Those teams will be announced in June.

When the Raiders' season was cut short with a 23-3 record and the NAIA's top ranking in March, Quirke carried a .488 batting average, ranked third nationally with 40 hits, and had a 3-2 pitching record with a 2.27 ERA. Her career average of .456 over 85 games is the best in Raider history among those who have spent at least two seasons with the team.

In 2019 she was named the NAIA World Series MVP and a second-team All-American, fueling the Raiders' run to a national championship after transferring from College of San Mateo as a junior. She ended the season with a .444 average that included 18 doubles, 10 triples and five home runs, establishing a new SOU single-season record for extra-base hits.

Quirke also drove in 63 runs, the ninth-highest total in the NAIA, and scored 49. She went 7-1 as a pitcher and earned the decision in a victory that clinched SOU's third consecutive World Series appearance.

Last month, she was named to the Academic All-Cascade Conference team.

The CoSIDA Academic All-District cross country/track and field teams will be announced in two weeks.