By Robert McKinney, Assistant Athletics Director, Communications, (503) 370-6110
SALEM, Ore. -- Three Willamette University baseball players have been chosen First Team CoSIDA NCAA Division III Academic All-District VIII for the 2021 season, as voted by the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA). Willamette's Academic All-District selections were Michael Nelsen (Sr., C, Folsom, CA/Vista Del Lago HS), Sean Little (Sr., 2B, Corvallis, OR/Crescent Valley HS), and Luke Werkmeister-Martin (So., 1B, Louisville, CO/Monarch HS). Nelsen was selected as a catcher, while Little and Werkmeister-Martin received the honor as infielders.
A total of 16 student-athletes were named to the Academic All-District VIII Team. Nelsen, Little, Werkmeister-Martin, and other First Team Academic All-District selections are eligible to be chosen for the CoSIDA NCAA Division III Academic All-America Team.
CoSIDA District VIII includes colleges and universities in the western United States. Players nominated for the CoSIDA All-District Team were starters or key reserves with cumulative grade point averages of 3.3 or higher (4.0 scale). Each nominated player was at their current college or university for at least one academic year.
"Mike, Sean, and Luke are all outstanding young men. They strive for greatness in everything they do," Willamette Head Baseball Coach Aaron Swick said. "It is no surprise that they excelled on the field and in the classroom. It is a great accomplishment to be recognized as Academic All-District. It is an honor that is well earned by each of them."
Willamette ended the season with a 30-15 record, including 21-11 (3rd place) in the Northwest Conference. The Bearcats reached the NWC Tournament championship game. Willamette was 17-7 in home games at John Lewis Field, while earning a 10-6 road record and going 3-2 in neutral-site games.
First Team CoSIDA NCAA Division III Academic All-District VIII
Michael Nelsen (Sr., C) was named First Team All-West Region by the American Baseball Coaches Association (ABCA), earned Third Team All-West Region from D3baseball.com, and was selected First Team All-NWC. He pounded out 13 home runs to rank second on the Willamette roster. He also hit 10 doubles on his way to achieving a .290 batting average. He led the Bearcats with 50 RBIs and registered three or more RBIs eight times, including six RBIs against Linfield University on March 7. He provided two or more hits in 15 games. In addition, he scored 32 runs, walked 17 times, and recorded a .628 slugging percentage.
On defense, he earned a .983 fielding percentage with 208 putouts and 18 assists. Nelsen played in 44 of the 45 games and made 42 starts.
During Nelsen's career with the Bearcats, he played in 79 games with 63 starts. His power at the plate led to 16 home runs and 13 doubles. He accumulated 60 RBIs and scored 43 runs. Opponents walked Nelsen 29 times. A strong catcher, he ended his career with 292 putouts and 27 assists with a .970 fielding percentage. Nelsen graduated this year with a major in Biology.
Sean Little (Sr., 2B) was named Third Team All-West Region by the ABCA and was chosen Second Team All-NWC. He ranked second for the Bearcats with a .378 batting average, just .001 behind Werkmeister-Martin.
Little played in 44 games and was a starter 43 times. He led Willamette in several statistical categories with a .530 on-base percentage, 16 doubles, and 38 walks. He tied for the team lead with 46 runs scored and was second with 11 stolen bases. He was third on the team with a total of 51 hits.
At second base, he was the team's defensive leader with 105 assists. He also achieved 85 putouts and a .969 fielding percentage. He earned four or more assists 10 times, including six assists versus Linfield on March 6 and six assists against Lewis & Clark on April 4.
In his career, Little scored 65 runs and provided 40 RBIs. He blasted 24 doubles and four homers. He owns an impressive .345 career batting average to go along with a .500 slugging percentage and a .481 on-base percentage. He was successful on 18 of 25 stolen bases attempts. His defensive totals include 145 putouts, 123 assists, and a .971 fielding percentage. Little graduated this spring with a major in Biology.
Luke Werkmeister-Martin (So., 1B) was named NCAA Division III Third Team All-America by the ABCA. He was chosen First Team All-West Region by the ABCA and by D3baseball.com. He received Second Team All-NWC honors. Werkmeister-Martin led the Bearcats with a .379 batting average and 64 hits. He tied Little for the team lead with 46 runs.
Werkmeister-Martin blasted 10 home runs and 13 doubles. He registered a .633 slugging percentage. He walked 15 times on his way to a .429 on-base percentage. In addition, he contributed 36 RBIs and was 7 for 7 on stolen bases. He opened the season with a 16-game hitting streak and had an eight-game hitting streak to end the season, including all five games in the NWC Tournament.
His 64 hits tied a school record. He received 169 at bats to rank fifth all-time on Willamette's single season list. He tied for fifth all-time with his 46 runs scored.
Werkmeister-Martin played in all 45 games and made 44 starts. He earned at least one hit in 39 games. At first base, he recorded a team-high 322 putouts. He registered a .994 fielding percentage.
In two years at WU, Werkmeister-Martin has achieved a .381 career batting average. He has played in 58 games with 52 starts. His career totals include 80 hits, 55 runs, and 45 RBIs. He has produced 17 doubles and 27 extra-base hits. On defense, he has made 361 career putouts with a .992 fielding percentage. Werkmeister-Martin is double majoring in Data Science and Economics.
NOTE: The class year listed with each student-athlete is for the 2020-21 academic year.
