By Robert McKinney, Assistant Athletics Director, Communications
SALEM, Ore. -- Luke Werkmeister-Martin (Jr., 1B, Louisville, CO/Monarch HS) of Willamette University has been named First Team CoSIDA NCAA Division III Academic All-District VIII for the 2022 season, as voted by the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA). It is the second consecutive year that Werkmeister-Martin has been selected First Team CoSIDA Academic All-District as an infielder.
A total of 16 student-athletes were named to the Academic All-District VIII Team. 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, which will be announced on June 8.
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.
"Luke is an incredibly driven young man," Willamette Head Baseball Coach Aaron Swick said. "His hard work and dedication on and off the field have been excellent examples to the younger guys in our program. It's no surprise that Luke was able to reach this accomplishment in back-to-back years."
Willamette concluded the 2022 season with a 19-17 overall record and finished 12-12 (5th place tie) in the Northwest Conference, just two wins out of first place. The top eight teams in the NWC ended the conference season within three games of each other. The Bearcats hit .289 for the season with 31 home runs. Willamette pitchers struck out 299 batters and held opponents to a .271 batting average.
During the season, Willamette registered a 10-6 record at home. The Bearcats were 6-5 in one-run games and built up a 17-6 record when scoring six or more runs.
First Team CoSIDA NCAA Division III Academic All-District VIII
Luke Werkmeister-Martin (Jr., 1B) was named First Team CoSIDA Academic All-District VIII after hitting .349 this spring and leading the Bearcats with 52 hits, 32 runs scored, 149 at bats, 11 doubles, and 19 stolen bases. He also ranked first on the team with 272 putouts on defense and started all 36 games. He was chosen Second Team All-NWC for the second year in a row. As a student, Werkmeister-Martin has achieved a 3.95 cumulative GPA. He is working toward a double major in Data Science and Economics.
This year, he achieved a .537 slugging percentage. He was 19 for 20 on stolen base attempts (95%). In a doubleheader against Lewis & Clark College on March 13, he was 7 for 11 (.636) at the plate with a double, six runs scored, and two RBIs, as the Bearcats won 12-11 and 12-5. While playing first base, Werkmeister-Martin attained a .983 fielding percentage.
In 2021, Werkmeister-Martin was chosen Third Team CoSIDA NCAA Division III Academic All-America. He earned Third Team All-America recognition from the American Baseball Coaches Association (ABCA) and was selected First Team All-Region by the ABCA and D3baseball.com after batting .379 with 46 runs and 36 RBIs. Also in 2021, he accumulated 64 hits, including 13 doubles and 10 homers, and was 7 for 7 on stolen bases. He topped the Bearcats with a .400 batting average in NWC regular season play.
Werkmeister-Martin has played in 94 games during his career, including 88 starts. He owns a .368 career batting average with 132 hits in 359 at bats. He has belted 28 doubles and 15 home runs, while scoring 87 runs and providing 73 RBIs. He is 28 of 29 on career stolen base attempts. In addition, Werkmeister-Martin has a .577 career slugging percentage and a .421 on-base percentage. His career stats on defense include 633 putouts and a .988 fielding percentage.
