DES MOINES, Iowa — Five members of the Drake softball team were named to the College Sports Communicators Academic All-District Team, the organization announced on Tuesday. Tatum Aragon, Frankie Rita, Jayme Scheck, Ashlynn Sheets and Natalee Watts, who all received Missouri Valley Conferenced Scholar-Athlete Team selections, were named as the honorees for the Bulldogs.

Aragon hit at a clip of .293 for the Bulldogs in her senior campaign, tallying a total of 44 hits for the season. Aragon produced six doubles, three home runs, and a team-best 32 RBI to pair with a .393 slugging percentage. Aragon owns a 3.87 GPA while studying Psychology.

Rita started all 51 games for the Bulldog as a utility player and hit at a clip of .284 for the year with a team-high 31 runs scored. The Lemont, Illinois native totaled 10 doubles and picked up a pair of home runs in 2026. In the field Rita compiled a .942 fielding percentage over 226 chances and was second on the team in putouts (140) and assists (73). She is currently studying Mathematics Education specializing in Secondary Education with a GPA of 3.80.

Sheets, a main arm for the Bulldog pitching staff, led the team with 29 appearances logged a record of 4-9 over 69.1 innings of work. The lefty tallied 23 strikeouts from the circle and carried an ERA of 5.45. She is pursuing her degree in Elementary Education and owns a GPA of 3.80.

Scheck led Drake's pitching efforts with an ERA of 4.61 over 24 appearances (16 starts). She collected 41 strikeouts and tossed a total of 74.1 innings in her final season as the fifth-year senior carried a GPA of 3.88 from the classroom while studying Elementary Education.

Watts, the local product from Clive, Iowa hit .281 on the year and slugged .492 while driving in 14 RBI and scoring 21 runs of her own. She also provided some pop at the plate for the Bulldogs with seven long balls. Mainly controlling the traffic in the outfield from her center field position, Watts recorded 85 putouts and five assists to go along with a fielding percentage of .957. The junior is majoring in Health Science with a focus of Clinical and Medical studies and has a GPA of 3.83.

The 2026 Academic All-District Softball team, selected by College Sports Communicators, recognize the nation's top student-athletes for their combined performances on the field and in the classroom.