WINONA, Minn. — The Saint Mary's University baseball team had five players — seniors Brandon Merfeld (La Crosse, Wis.) and Timmy Smith (South St. Paul, Minn.), junior Cameron Weber (Holmen, Wis.), and sophomores Mason Coyle (Madison, Wis.) and Riley Bauman (Stratford, Wis.) — who earned College Sports Communicators (formerly CoSIDA) Academic All-District® honors, it was announced Tuesday.
 
The 2023 Academic All-District® Baseball Team, selected by College Sports Communicators, recognizes the nation's top student-athletes for their combined performances on the field and in the classroom.
 
Athletes must carry a 3.50 grade-point-average on a 4.0 scale — while completing at least one full calendar year at the institution — have appeared in 50 percent of the team's contests, and made a significant impact on the field of competition to be eligible.
 
Merfeld, a Biology major with a 3.96 grade-point-average, started 34 games for the Cardinals, posting a .305 batting average, going 36-for-118, with two doubles, two triples, 18 runs scored, and 14 RBIs. The senior outfielder boasted a .424 on-base percentage and a .356 slugging percentage, while stealing four bases and owning a perfect 1.000 fielding percentage (81 putouts, 2 assists in 83 chances).
 
Smith, a Business Intelligence & Analytics / Sports Management double-major with a 3.63 GPA, was one of the aces of the Cardinals' pitching staff, compiling a 6-2 record and a 4.42 ERA in nine starts. He logged a team-high 55 innings on the mound, recorded his first two collegiate nine-inning complete games, and closed out his senior season with a 29 strikeouts.
 
Weber, a Business Intelligence & Analytics / Finance double-major with a 3.80 GPA, was one of the Cardinals' offensive leaders in 2023, sitting among the team leaders in batting average (.359), at-bats (131), runs (27), hits (47), doubles (7), triples (2), and total bases (58). The junior led the team in stolen bases, going 17-for-20, while also posting a .412 on-base percentage and a .443 slugging percentage.
 
Bauman, a General Studies major with a 3.52 GPA, closed out his sophomore season as the only Cardinal to start all 35 games, hitting .336 (41-for-122) with six doubles, two triples, and a team-leading five home runs. He also delivered a team-leading 26 RBIs, sporting a .541 slugging percentage and a .407 on-base percentage, while stealing 12baseson 13 attempts.
 
Coyle, a Business Intelligence & Analytics / Finance double-major with a 3.60 GPA, enjoyed a banner sophomore year, recording a team-best .375 batting average. He banged out 39 hits in 104 at-bats, including a team-high 10 doubles, one triple, and three home runs, while scoring 22 times, and leading the team in both slugging percentage (.577) and on-base percentage (.485). he stole nine bases in 10 tries, and ended the year with a .996 fielding percentage — committing just one error in 256 chances.
 
Academic All-District® honorees advance to the CSC Academic All-America® ballot. First-, second- and third-team Academic All-America® honorees will be announced in early June.