Case Western Reserve University graduate student infielder KaiLi Gross was selected to the NFCA All-America First Team at second base, the organization announced on Wednesday night.
Gross earned All-America honors for the first time in her career after receiving an All-Region VII First Team selection earlier this year. She is the sixth member of the program to be named an All-American and the fourth to be named to the First Team. Former Spartans Sarah Miller (2021), Annie Wennerberg (2015), and Lauren Wolz (2011) each received First Team honors for CWRU. Case Western Reserve has an All-American for the third consecutive season and a representative on one of the three teams for the fourth time in the last five years. Gross was the only player at second base in Division III to earn All-America First Team selection.
A four-time All-University Athletic Association First Team selection, Gross led the team this season in batting average (.437), on-base percentage (.481), slugging percentage (.810), runs scored (45), runs batted in (45), doubles (16), triples (two), and home runs (11). She added 13 stolen bases and struck out just eight times in 142 at-bats. At second base, Gross had a .952 fielding percentage, making 79 putouts and 40 assists.
She is one of two players in program history to be named to four All-UAA First Teams and finished her career as the all-time leader in 13 offensive categories including batting average (.409), games played (191), games started (190), at-bats (631), runs (176), hits (258), doubles (62), triples (15), home runs (34), runs batted in (176), total bases (452), sacrifice flies (12), and stolen bases (102). In 23 postseason games across four seasons, Gross hit .443 (35-for-79) with a .734 slugging percentage, including eight doubles, three triples, three home runs, 10 stolen bases, 20 runs scored, and 18 RBI.
The NFCA All-America teams are voted on by the Association's All-America Committees. In Division III, the committee is composed of one head coach from each of the 10 NCAA regions. All student-athletes who were nominated by a member head coach and voted to the first, second or third team All-Region squads were eligible for All-America consideration.
The CWRU softball team reached the postseason and won 30 games for the fourth consecutive year. The Spartans, who fell to Wisconsin Whitewater in the Cleveland Regional final on Saturday, ended the 2025 campaign with a record of 30-12.
