GREENWOOD, Ind. – The Millsaps College softball program saw five student-athletes receive recognition on the 2026 CSC Academic All-District® Softball Team, announced Tuesday by the College Sports Communicators.
Proudly representing the Millsaps College softball program were juniors Julie Amacher, Ella Morgan Sears, and Allana Vasquez along with sophomores Ava Palumbo and Hailey Peterson. They all made a difference not only on the field, but in the classroom following the 2026 season.
Each student-athlete met the undergraduate requirements to earn a place on the 2026 CSC Academic All-District® Softball Team.
An undergraduate student-athlete must have at least a 3.50 cumulative grade point average (on a 4.0 scale), which may not be rounded up. To be athletically eligible, softball nominees needed to compete in 90 percent of the institution's games played or must start in at least 66 percent of the institution's games. For pitchers, a student-athlete must have made at least 17 appearances or pitched 35 innings.
Majoring in Biochemistry, Amacher accomplished an impressive 3.82 cumulative GPA during the 2026 season as a scholar-athlete.
A transfer from Coastal Alabama Community College and Meridian Community College, she has appeared on the President's List since joining Millsaps College.
Amacher helped lead the Majors to a 23–15 overall record in her junior campaign. The Chelsea, Ala., product appeared in 15 games, making eight starts inside the circle.
She pitched 41.1 innings and posted a 4-2 overall pitching record against her opponents throughout the season.
The right-handed pitcher struck out 24 batters and recorded one save to conclude her 2026 campaign.
Amacher threw a complete seven-inning game against non-conference opponent MUW, allowing just three hits and one run while striking out five batters in a 5-1 victory over the Owls on Feb. 28.
Palumbo, majoring in Government and Politics with a minor in Biology, holds a 3.84 cumulative GPA.
On the campus of Millsaps, she is heavily involved in the Student Body Association, Phi Mu Epsilon, and Tri-Beta.
Palumbo has been named to the Dean's List twice and the President's List once and was also recognized on the 2025 Spring SAA Academic Honor Roll for her excellent academic accomplishments.
A 2026 All-SAA Honorable Mention this season, the Metairie, La., native was outstanding at finding first base after finishing second in conference games with a .541 on-base percentage. Palumbo also tied for first with a perfect 1.000 fielding percentage in left field.
Palumbo only made one error for a .977 fielding percentage during the entire season and was second-best on the team, batting .310 and posting a .430 on-base percentage in 33 games. She used 22 hits to tally 11 RBIs, eight runs, and a .310 slugging percentage.
Peterson, a Health and Exercise Science major, finished the 2026 season with a dominant 3.94 cumulative GPA.
While at Millsaps College, Peterson is a multi-time member of Club 40 and President's List. She has made the SAA Academic Honor Roll one time to date.
When not dominating on the softball field, Peterson is engaged in the Phi Eta Sigma National Honor Society, Kappa Delta, is a SAAC Softball representative, involved in AED (Pre-Health), and is a Case Tutor Consultant.
During the summer, she offers private softball lessons to players of all ages and specializes in pitching, hitting, and fielding. She helps younger softball athletes enhance their skills and improve their fundamentals.
Following the 2026 regular season, Peterson was recognized as a 2026 All-SAA First Team Pitcher and a 2026 All-SAA First Team Utility/Pitcher both in the circle and playing shortstop.
As a pitcher, Peterson finished in the SAA with a stunning 1.42 ERA and led with only 10 earned runs allowed across 49.1 innings. She also sat third in opposing batting average at .223 percent, with a 4-4 record.
Peterson closed the season with 25 strikeouts, including eight that were of the looking variety, which was 14th in the conference entering the postseason.
Sears made her way onto the list for the first time by earning a 3.60 cumulative GPA as a Health & Exercise major with a minor in Public Health.
Among her peers at Millsaps College, Sears has made the President's List and Dean's List as well as the Spring SAA Academic Honor Roll.
Sears was an occupational therapy intern at Southern Physical Therapy and served as the head travel softball coach for Softball Country. She also served in a mission trip in the Dominican Republica.
The Tuscaloosa, Ala., native is a member of the Fellowship of Christian Athletes leadership team, Jackson Free-Clinic Ambassador and a part of the MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) Club.
During the 2026 season, Sears started all 38 games and tied for 13th in the conference with 10 doubles. She also tied for first among her teammates with 38 hits and led all Majors with four home runs.
On March 22, Sears crushed a walk-off home run to help the Majors defeat Centre College, 3-1.
Vasquez made her second appearance on the CSC Academic All-District® Softball Team, holding a 3.56 cumulative GPA. She is currently majoring in Biology with a minor in Spanish.
Outside of softball, the San Antonio, Texas native is involved in the Beta Beta Beta, Phi Eta Sigma. She has made the Dean's List, while also being recognized on the SAA Academic Honor Roll twice thus far.
During the 2026 season, Vasquez started all 38 games, recording 25 RBIs, 36 hits, 10 doubles, and one stolen base. She finished first on the team in RBIs and tied for second in doubles.
On April 13, she was named SAA Softball Pitcher of the Week where she helped the Majors claim a road sweep at Sewanee, pitching a complete game.
For more information about the CSC Academic All-District® and Academic All-America® Teams program, visit AcademicAllAmerica.com.
To keep up to date with everything surrounding the Millsaps College softball program follow the Majors on X and Instagram, like Millsaps Majors Athletics on Facebook and visit gomajors.com.
Founded in Jackson, Mississippi in 1890, Millsaps College is a national liberal arts college dedicated to academic excellence, open inquiry and free expression, the exploration of faith to inform vocation and the innovative shaping of the social, economic and cultural progress of our region. Consistently ranked as one of the best values in higher education, Millsaps has been praised by Colleges That Change Lives, The Princeton Review, Forbes Magazine, U.S. News & World Report, The John Templeton Foundation, and The Fiske Guide to Colleges.
