DALLAS – Conference USA honored the 11 accomplished recipients of the Jim Castañeda Postgraduate Scholarship on Thursday. 2023 marks the 15th year the award has been named after Dr. Jim Castañeda, who served Rice for 46 years as an educator, coach and Faculty Athletics Representative before he passed in 2008. Every season, C-USA grants the $4,000 scholarship to distinguished graduates selected by the league’s Faculty Athletics Representatives and approved by the Conference USA Board of Directors.
Sommer Baker of the Florida Atlantic University softball team was the Owls’ recipient of the scholarship. Baker has exemplified the true meaning of student-athlete during her career with the Owls. She is set to graduate this summer with her master’s in Exercise & Health Promotion and has earned a GPA of 3.91. Baker has been on the C-USA Commissioner’s Honor Roll and the Dean’s List in each of the last four years.
For her efforts, Baker was named to FAU’s Female Outstanding Academic Achievement Award at this year’s Owlspys.
On the diamond, Baker started in 52 games at shortstop this season for the Owls. She set a career-high in RBI with 19, while also adding 13 runs scored, six doubles, two triples and two home runs. Both of her homers and 13 of her RBI came in conference games, which tied her for second on the team in conference-only RBI. In her career, Baker played in 155 games with 149 starts for Florida Atlantic.
