GREENWOOD, Indiana – Junior pitcher
Madelayne Ruffner (Charles Town, W.Va./Washington) of the Shepherd University softball team has been named to the 2026 College Sports Communicators (CSC) Academic All-America Team. Ruffner gained third team honors. She joins Nicole Purtell as the only Shepherd softball players to earn Academic All-American honors.
Ruffner boasts a 3.78 grade point average as an elementary education major. She posted a 15-8 mark with four saves and a 1.28 ERA. She fanned 292 and walked 22 in 164.2 innings. A 2026 D2CCA and NFCA All-American, Ruffner topped NCAA II in strikeout-to-walk ratio (13.86), strikeouts per seven innings (12.4), and WHIP (0.71).
The complete Academic All-American team is listed below.
2026 CSC Academic All-America Softball Team NCAA II
| FIRST TEAM |
| Pos. |
Name |
School |
GPA |
Yr. |
Major |
| C |
Delaney Ridgell (3) |
East Stroudsburg University |
4.00 |
Sr. |
Political Science |
| DP |
Kimberly Torres |
Felician University |
3.70 |
So. |
Communications |
| IF |
Heather Arnett (3)(4) |
Pittsburg State University |
4.00 |
Sr. |
General Studies |
| IF |
Macauley Bailey (1)(5) |
Carson-Newman |
4.00/3.83 |
Sr. |
Psychology |
| IF |
Lauren Harris |
McKendree University |
3.80 |
Sr. |
Exercise Science & Sports Performance |
| IF |
Alyssa Woelfel |
Winona State University |
4.00 |
Jr. |
Marketing |
| OF |
Chloe Baynes |
Auburn University at Montgomery |
3.97 |
Jr. |
Communication Disorders |
| OF |
Rylee Lemos |
University of Central Oklahoma |
3.70 |
Sr. |
Human Resource Management |
| OF |
Brooklyn Willis |
University of Indianapolis |
3.88 |
Jr. |
Nursing |
| P |
Gwen McGinnis |
University of Tampa |
3.92 |
Sr. |
Allied Health |
| P |
Jenna Walling |
Francis Marion University |
3.74/4.00 |
Sr. |
Business Administration (G) |
| SECOND TEAM |
| Pos. |
Name |
School |
GPA |
Yr. |
Major |
| C |
Taryn Barney |
University of Texas at Tyler |
3.92 |
Sr. |
Criminal Justice |
| DP |
Olivia Watkins |
Auburn University at Montgomery |
4.00 |
Jr. |
Kinesiology |
| IF |
Maleah Andrews (2) |
Western Washington University |
3.69 |
So. |
Public Health |
| IF |
Mia Johnson |
University of Wisconsin - Parkside |
3.89 |
Sr. |
Sports Management |
| IF |
Hannah Taylor |
Eckerd College |
3.88 |
Jr. |
Psychology |
| IF |
Carsen Tinkler |
Missouri Southern State University |
4.00/4.00 |
Sr. |
Marketing & Finance (U) / Data Analytics (G) |
| OF |
Bailey Dillon |
Missouri Southern State University |
3.96 |
So. |
Exercise Science |
| OF |
Alyssa Gutierrez |
University of Colorado Colorado Springs |
3.96 |
Sr. |
Inclusive Elementary Education |
| OF |
Jessica Miller |
Tiffin University |
4.00 |
So. |
Justice Advocacy |
| OF |
Makenzie Sais |
Washburn University |
4.00 |
So. |
Forensic Investigation |
| OF |
Tatiana Trotter (3) |
Angelo State |
3.63 |
Sr. |
Intelligence & Analysis |
| P |
Jayda Berg |
Winona State University |
4.00 |
Jr. |
Allied Health |
| P |
Marissa Quintero |
Cal State East Bay |
3.77 |
Jr. |
Kinesiology |
| THIRD TEAM |
| Pos. |
Name |
School |
GPA |
Yr. |
Major |
| C |
Taylor Thompson (2) |
University of Central Missouri |
3.67/4.00 |
Jr. |
Occupational Safety |
| DP |
Haley Gardella |
Cameron University |
3.66 |
So. |
Sports & Exercise Science |
| IF |
Rebecca Komers |
Auburn University at Montgomery |
4.00 |
Jr. |
Criminal Justice |
| IF |
Taylor Nelson |
Missouri S&T |
3.91 |
Jr. |
Biomedical Engineering |
| IF |
Delaney Patella |
Indiana University of Pennsylvania |
4.00 |
Sr. |
Fashion Studies |
| IF |
Kinsley Proepper |
East Stroudsburg University |
4.00 |
So. |
Exercise Science |
| OF |
Andrea Cain |
Augustana University (SD) |
3.86 |
Sr. |
Athletic Training |
| P |
McKenna James |
Colorado State University Pueblo |
3.93 |
Sr. |
Marketing |
| P |
Madelayne Ruffner |
Shepherd University |
3.78 |
Jr. |
Elementary Education |
(1)– 1st team Academic All-America® in 2025
(2) – 2nd team Academic All-America® in 2025
(3) – 3rd team Academic All-America® in 2025
(4)– 1st team Academic All-America® in 2024
(5) – 2nd team Academic All-America® in 2024
