MARSHALL, Texas – In back-to-back years for the first time in program history, East Texas Baptist University have two student-athletes as College Sports Communicators Academic All-Americans. Mary Frances Ellis and Hannah Benavides are two of the 33 NCAA Division III student-athletes to be named a CSC Academic All-American. Ellis becomes only the program's second student-athlete to earn two Academic All-American award as Ashton Brey was the first in 2011 and 2012.
 
Ellis becomes just the third student-athlete to be named a First-Team selection as Hannah Garcia was in 2021 and Jayme Perez in 2017. She was on the third team last year before making the first team this year as an outfielder. She carries a 4.0 grade point average majoring in Finance/Accounting. A three-time All-ASC selection, this year she was the Super Regional Most Outstanding Player and made the NCAA Tournament All-Region team. On the NFCA Players to Watch List in 2024, she is a two-time NFCA All-Region selection. She finished the year batting .409 with 47 hits, 10 RBI, and led the team with 36 stolen bases.
 
Benavides is a Second-Team selection and is the fourth student-athlete in program history to be a NFCA and CSC All-American in the same season. She joins Ashley Croft (2023), Hannah Garcia (2021), and Jayme Perez (2017). With a 3.81 grade point average majoring in Rehabilitative Science, she is one of just six pitchers selected to be an Academic All-American. In her first season at ETBU, she was named the ASC Pitcher and Newcomer of the Year and was the ASC Pitcher of the Week four times. On the NFCA All-American Third-Team, she was an All-Region First-Team member and finished the year at 16-0 with a 1.41 ERA, six shutouts, and 45 strikeouts.
 
ETBU won the program's second NCAA Division III National Championship on June 5^th at their home field (Bell Park at Taylor Field) becoming the first modern-day program to do such a feat. They were 48-3 on the year posting a program bests in wins and had a 23-game winning streak. They also went 28-1 at home and were 14-0 in the regular season.