Youngstown, Ohio – A program-record five Youngstown State softball players were named to the 2026 College Sports Communicators (CSC) Softball Academic All-District First Team, the association announced on Tuesday.
Seniors Kennedy Dean and Emma Gilkerson and juniors Selah Moyer, Tai Turner and Lydia Wilkerson were all selected to the all-district team.
Dean, who posted a graduate school GPA of 4.0 in Organizational Leadership, is the first player in program history to named CSC All-District First-Team three times after earning the honor in 2024, 2025 and 2026. Dean was also named to the Horizon League All-Academic Team win 2026.
Dean posted her best season on the field in 2026 after tying for the team lead with a .373 batting average with 14 doubles, two triples, 12 home runs and a single-season record 65 RBIs. She was named All-Horizon League First Team after ranking second in the conference in RBIs, tied for fourth in home runs and fifth with 48 runs scored.
Wilkerson, a two-time Horizon League All-Academic Team selection, earned her second CSC all-district award this season after posting a 3.96 grade-point average finance. A three-time All-Horizon League selection, Wilkerson closed out the season with a .355 average with 11 doubles, two triples, four home runs and 27 runs batted in.
Gilkerson, a three-time All-Horizon League selection, closed out her career with a 3.90 grade-point average of 3.90 in accounting. She made her second appearance on the all-conference first team after earning the honor in 2025. She was also a second-team selection in 2024. Gilkerson finished the regular season with a .347 batting average with seven doubles, 12 home runs and 43 runs batted in. She Dean for the team lead in home runs and ranked third on the squad with a .639 slugging percentage.
Turner, an All-Horizon League Second-Team selection, tied for the team lead with a .373 batting average and led the team with 56 runs scored. Turner also boasted a slugging percentage of .553, an OPS of .982 with eight doubles, five home runs and 36 RBIs.
Moyer, who carries a 4.0 grade-point average in psychology, was named All-Horizon League Third Team. Moyer finished the regular season with a .331 average with 12 doubles, nine home runs and 51 RBIs, and she owned a .653 slugging percentage and a 1.109 OPS.
