POUGHKEEPSIE, New York – Shortstop Caroline Baratta and outfielder Shea Walsh of the Marist softball team were named CoSIDA Academic All-District on Thursday.
 
Baratta was named Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference Defensive Player of the Year as a senior in 2021. She was named First Team All-MAAC for the third straight season as she hit .340 with four home runs, 11 runs batted in, and a team-leading 22 runs scored. Baratta tied for the team lead with 10 stolen bases, and committed just three errors in 90 chances for a .967 fielding percentage. She is a Business Administration major.
 
As a sophomore this past season, Walsh was second on the Red Foxes with a .456 batting average. She scored 16 runs, drove in six, had a .385 on-base percentage, and stole eight bases. She had a 4-for-4 performance at Iona on May 2, and a 3-for-3 game with two runs scored and two doubles against Saint Peter's on April 30. Walsh is a Biology major.
 
This is the first CoSIDA Academic All-District award for both Baratta and Walsh. The Marist softball program has had at least one All-District selection in each of the last six years, with a total of 10 in that span.
 
Marist has now had five CoSIDA Academic All-District selections in the 2020-21 school year. Here are the previous honorees:
 

• June 3: Nicole Sasso, women's soccer
• June 10: Nick Foglia & Max Heinrich, football

 
To be eligible for CoSIDA Academic All-District honors, student-athletes must be a starter or important reserve at their current institution with a cumulative 3.30 GPA on a 4.0 scale. Baratta and Walsh will now be eligible for CoSIDA Academic All-America honors, which will be announced on Thursday, July 29.
 
In the 2021 season, the Marist softball team went 15-12 overall. The Red Foxes placed third in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference Championships, and have had winning seasons in 10 of the last 11 years under the leadership of head coach Joe Ausanio.