Photo by: SMC Athletics / Emily Smith
BSB | Gaels Have Three Players Named to CSC Academic All-District Team
5/16/2023 12:50:00 PM | Baseball
GREENWOOD, Ind. – Saint Mary's Baseball had three players named to the College Sports Communicators All-District team in Nathan Chong, Blake McDonald, and Coleman Schmidt.
The selections are a fitting honor for the program's success on the field and in the classroom, as the team prepares for their first trip to the WCC Tournament since 2017.
Chong has been one of the Gaels top hitters since his return from injury after being hit by a pitch in the Santa Clara series in mid-March, and has been a top performer academically.
The Business Administration major has 3.826 GPA in 2023, while hitting .333 and slugging .581 as the Gaels primary designated hitter. The Fullerton, Calif. native received his second WCC Player of the Week Award of his career after his big weekend at Gonzaga where he hit .455 with two home runs, two doubles, and five RBI.
Fellow Business Administration major McDonald had a 3.645 GPA this season, and has been SMC's every-day catcher in 2023. The "Beast" as he's known by his teammates, came to Saint Mary's from Santa Rosa Junior College, and has appeared in 91 games as a Gael with 72 starts, including 39 starts this year. He's hit .284 in his two seasons at SMC with a .387 on-base percentage, and been the Gaels' rock behind the plate, as one of the top backstops in the conference.
Schmidt has been the Gaels top power-speed combo this season with 13 home runs and 11 stolen bases, slugging .561 with a .274 average. At the same time, the physics major has a 3.733 GPA while started 45 games in the outfield for Saint Mary's.
To be nominated, a student-athlete must be a starter or important reserve with at least a 3.50 cumulative grade point average (on a 4.0 scale) at his or her current institution. Nominated athletes must have participated in at least 50 percent of the team's games, and no student-athlete is eligible until he/she has completed one full calendar year at his/her current institution and is at least a sophomore academically and athletically.
The Gaels will wrap up the regular season this weekend at Fresno State before beginning the WCC Tournament May 24 in Las Vegas.
The selections are a fitting honor for the program's success on the field and in the classroom, as the team prepares for their first trip to the WCC Tournament since 2017.
Chong has been one of the Gaels top hitters since his return from injury after being hit by a pitch in the Santa Clara series in mid-March, and has been a top performer academically.
The Business Administration major has 3.826 GPA in 2023, while hitting .333 and slugging .581 as the Gaels primary designated hitter. The Fullerton, Calif. native received his second WCC Player of the Week Award of his career after his big weekend at Gonzaga where he hit .455 with two home runs, two doubles, and five RBI.
Fellow Business Administration major McDonald had a 3.645 GPA this season, and has been SMC's every-day catcher in 2023. The "Beast" as he's known by his teammates, came to Saint Mary's from Santa Rosa Junior College, and has appeared in 91 games as a Gael with 72 starts, including 39 starts this year. He's hit .284 in his two seasons at SMC with a .387 on-base percentage, and been the Gaels' rock behind the plate, as one of the top backstops in the conference.
Schmidt has been the Gaels top power-speed combo this season with 13 home runs and 11 stolen bases, slugging .561 with a .274 average. At the same time, the physics major has a 3.733 GPA while started 45 games in the outfield for Saint Mary's.
To be nominated, a student-athlete must be a starter or important reserve with at least a 3.50 cumulative grade point average (on a 4.0 scale) at his or her current institution. Nominated athletes must have participated in at least 50 percent of the team's games, and no student-athlete is eligible until he/she has completed one full calendar year at his/her current institution and is at least a sophomore academically and athletically.
The Gaels will wrap up the regular season this weekend at Fresno State before beginning the WCC Tournament May 24 in Las Vegas.
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