Peninsula grad Morgan named to Academic All-American second team

Alaina Morgan, a 2014 Peninsula High School graduate, has been an impact player in her two years with the Menlo College softball team.

Morgan was named to the CoSIDA Academic All-American Second Team as a sophomore, the lone player from the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics’ Golden State Athletic Conference (GSAC) to be named to the team.

“It’s pretty cool to be honored in that way, to be recognized for my grades as well as athletics,” Morgan said. “My hard work is paying off.”

Morgan helped the Oaks to the top seed in the conference tournament and 30 total wins. She hit .288 with 15 home runs, 37 RBI, 30 runs, eight doubles, 33 walks and just 21 strikeouts in 125 at-bats.

Additionally, she holds a 3.77 grade point average as an accounting major. Balancing academics with softball has been a challenge that Morgan has seemingly perfected.

“It’s not easy but we have a team study hall once a week that I go to,” she said. “For two hours on Tuesday night, that helps, being in the same room as my team, knowing that we’re all working. We all strive to get a 3.0 minimum GPA. Being around my teammates inspires me to work hard and get the good grades.”

Morgan started the year at catcher, played the majority of the season as a designated batter and finished the campaign in right field. A bit of everything — but Morgan said she’ll do whatever helps the team.

“I (wasn’t comfortable) at first (in right field), but it got better and better,” she said. “I worked with our senior center fielder after practice.”

Morgan credits head coach Matt Lisle with helping her become a better hitter, too.

“He took the swing I had and applied his knowledge to it,” Morgan said. “It took a while to learn the new parts of the swing.”

Mostly, the two worked on changing the angle of the bat path and timing.

“(We worked on) getting my foot down later and not being ahead of everything,” she said.

In her freshman season, the Oaks posted an 11-27 record. This season: A big turnaround, with a 30-20 record and a playoff win.

“It was an absolute blast,” Morgan said. “It was a special thing to be a part of.”

Morgan hopes the momentum will continue for Menlo, which is located in Atherton, about 25 miles southeast of San Francisco.

“Honestly, I want to leave the program better than when I found it,” Morgan said. “Anything I can do to put Menlo on the map and inspire other players to work hard and leave a legacy.”

This story was originally published June 23, 2016 at 10:09 AM with the headline "Peninsula grad Morgan named to Academic All-American second team."