By Jim Henry

Pittsburg State senior shortstop Heather Arnett is a first team academic All-American, the College Sports Communicators announced Tuesday.

Arnett, a graduate of Frontenac High School, earned the honor for the third consecutive year. She was a first-team choice in 2024 as an outfielder and made the third team in 2025 as a shortstop.

Arnett posted a 3.74 cumulative grade point averagew as a general studies major. She is the only softball player in school history to be a three-time academic All-American and one of 13 student-athletes in school history to earn the honor in any sport at least three times.
The Gorillas’ 11 softball academic All-Americans include three two-time winners – McKenzie Rynard in 2014-15, Keelah Griffith in 2022-23 and Hannah Harrison Martin in 2023-24.

Other PSU softball academic All-Americans are Kim Erickson (1992), Lisa Litzen (1993), Kelly Gustafson (1996), Mandy Frasco (2002), Emily Gastineau (2005), Jessica Jones (2010) and Hannah Burnett (2024).

Arnett ended her record-seeting college career with a .525 batting average her senior season, 114 hits, 81 runs, 15 doubles, seven triples, 39 runs batted in and 38 stolen bases. She led NCAA Division II this season in batting average, hits and runs per game (1.42), and she was second in runs scored.

In D2 history, she ranks third in hits for a season, tied for fourth in career hits (374), seventh in career runs (254), tied for sixth in season runs and tied for 15th in career stolen bases (155).