AUSTIN, Texas --- Four Tusculum University student-athletes have been named to the 2023 NCAA Division II Baseball Academic All-District® 3 team as selected by the College Sports Communicators (formerly CoSIDA).

Earning Academic All-District® honors were the quartet of Jonathan Nelson, Will Samuelson, Drew Sliwinski and Jacob Willett.

The 2023 Academic All-District® baseball team recognizes the nation's top student-athletes for their combined performances on the field and in the classroom. All four advance to the Academic All-America® ballot with the winners being announced next month.

District 3 is comprised of colleges and universities representing the South Atlantic Conference, Peach Belt Conference and Conference Carolinas. To be eligible, a student-athlete must have a cumulative grade point average of 3.50 or higher, must be at least a sophomore and played in 50 percent of their team's games or pitch in 10 or more innings.

Nelson, a senior right-handed pitcher from Knoxville, Tennessee, has a 3.83 cumulative grade point average while majoring in business administration. He is a member of the SAC Commissioner's Honor Roll, Dean's List, Charles Oliver Gray Honors List and the Tusculum Athletic Director's Honor Roll. In 2022, he was the recipient of the Division II Athletic Directors Association Academic Achievement Award.

He made 15 mound appearances this past spring where he posted a 2-0 record with one save. He accounted for a 5.52 earned run average in his 29.1 innings where he posted 23 strikeouts. In March, he was hit in the face by a line drive back to the mound. He returned to the Tusculum lineup after a month out and pitched four strong outings. For his efforts, he was named the TU athletic department's Comeback Player of the Year.

Samuelson, a junior first baseman from Charlotte, North Carolina, has a 3.54 GPA while majoring in accounting. The 2022 recipient of the Division II Athletic Directors Association Academic Achievement Award is a member of the SAC Commissioner's Honor Roll, Athletic Director's Honor Roll, Dean's List and Charles Oliver Gray Honors List.

He played in 45 contests where he posted a .291 batting average while totaling 43 hits including nine doubles, seven home runs and 36 RBI. He scored 28 runs while drawing 25 walks and two stolen bases. He was responsible for a pair of games where he belted two homers in each outing against Davis & Elkins and Emory & Henry.

Sliwinski, a junior left-handed pitcher from Knoxville, Tennessee, boasts a 3.93 GPA while majoring in business and accounting. He is a member of the President's List, Charles Oliver Gray Honors List, Dean's List, SAC Commissioner's Honor Roll and the Athletic Director's Honor Roll.

Sliwinski made 19 mound appearances including three starts while pitching in 40.1 innings. He posted a 2-4 record with one save and a 5.58 ERA while recording 36 strikeouts.

Willett, a graduate student from Greeneville, Tennessee, has a 3.68 GPA in his graduate studies and finished his undergraduate career with a 3.55 GPA while majoring in physical education. He is a member of the SAC Commissioner's Honor Roll, Dean's List, Athletic Director's Honor Roll and the Charles Oliver Gray Honors List.

He was Tusculum's closer out of the bullpen where he made a team-best 20 relief appearances. In his 30.1 innings of work, he went 4-4 with a pair of saves and a 3.26 ERA with 29 strikeouts.

The 2023 Academic All-District® Baseball Teams, selected by College Sports Communicators, recognize the nation's top student-athletes for their combined performances on the field and in the classroom. The CSC Academic All-America® program separately recognizes baseball honorees in four divisions — NCAA Division I, NCAA Division II, NCAA Division III and NAIA.

The Division II and III CSC Academic All-America® programs are partially financially supported by the NCAA Division II and III national governance structures to assist CSC with handling the awards fulfillment aspects for the 2022-23 Divisions II and III Academic All-America® programs. The NAIA CSC Academic All-America® program is partially financially supported through the NAIA national office.