By John Millea

The Hopkins softball team has received a big-time national academic honor. The Royals tied for first place in the nation in grade-point rankings for 2008-09, compiled by the National Fastpitch Coaches Association.

With a team GPA of 3.812, Hopkins tied for first place with Georgia's Madison County High School in the non-weighted category.

Minnesota Valley Lutheran of New Ulm placed third with a GPA of 3.777.

This is the third time in the past four years that Hopkins has claimed the top spot in the nation for GPA ranking. Not only have the Royals succeeded in the classroom, they have been Classic Lake champions, Class 3A Regions 6 AAA champions and state tournament participants in the last two years.

John Millea is on Twitter at twitter.com/stribjohn