ST. LOUIS, Mo. -- Juniors Bailiegh Basham (Mattoon, Ill./Mattoon/Lake Land C.C.) and Mariah Cole (Springfield, Ill./Sacred Heart Griffin) were both named First-Team Missouri Valley Conference Scholar-Athletes and fellow junior Brianne Joseph (Post Falls, Idaho/Post Falls) earned honorable mention Valley Scholar-Athlete honors according to an announcement by the league office Monday.
Bradley had two First-Team Scholar-Athletes for the second time in three years and had three individuals recognized on the MVC's scholar-athlete teams for the second consecutive season.
An advertising major with a perfect 4.00 cumulative grade point average, Basham was a Second-Team All-MVC selection and also garnered Second-Team Academic All-District V honors this spring. She was named the team's most valuable player after ranking second in the MVC with a .381 batting average. Basham missed the final 10 games of the season due to an injury, but still ranked third on the team in runs (25), and tied for fourth in RBI with 19 runs driven in.
Basham's .381 batting average was the best by a Bradley player since 1999 and ranks as the eighth highest season average in school history. In addition, she broke her own school season record with a .532 on base percentage, ranking in the top 30 in the nation in the category and is the only player in school history with two seasons with 20 or more walks.
Cole earned First-Team MVC Scholar-Athlete honors after receiving honorable mention Valley scholar-athlete recognition last year as a sophomore. A health science major with a perfect 4.00 cumulative grade point average, Cole was a Second-Team Academic All-District V honoree this spring. She ranked fifth on the team with a .280 batting average and had a career-best six-game hit streak this season.
A starter in the outfield in 45 games, Cole reached base 44 percent of the time she led off an inning and hit .290 with runners in scoring position in 2013. In 2011-12, she received the MVC Leadership & Service Award in addition to taking home Bradley's Carl Grose Service Award.
Joseph led the Braves in hits (53), runs (28) and stolen bases (13) in addition to ranking third on the squad with a career-best .323 batting average. A sports communication major, Joseph owns a 3.52 cumulative grade point average and ranks seventh in school history with 30 career stolen bases. She earned all-tournament honors at the Tiger Invitational early in 2013, helping Bradley to the tournament title and reached base 46 percent of the time she led off an inning.
The team-leader with 17 multi-hit games, Joseph tied for second on the team with nine two-out RBI and hit a team-best .320 with runners in scoring position. She also ranked third among Bradley hitters with 17 walks and a .390 on base percentage.
In order to be eligible, student-athletes must have at 3.2 GPA or higher, be at least a sophomore in athletic and academic standing and meet certain playing requirements.
