MARSHALL, Minn. – Four members of the Southwest Minnesota State University baseball program earned spots on the 2026 College Sport Communicators Academic All-District team announced on Tuesday.
Named to the all-district team include senior
Levi Lampert and sophomores
Jared Cortez,
Jameson Quinn and
Nathan Wheeler.
The Academic All-District® baseball teams, selected by College Sports Communicators, recognize the nation's top student-athletes for their combined performances on the field of play and in the classroom. The CSC Academic All-America® program separately recognizes basketball honorees in four divisions — NCAA Division I, NCAA Division II, NCAA Division III and NAIA.
To be eligible for the all-district team, student-athletes must have a cumulative GPA of 3.50 (through December 2025), compete in 90 percent of the institution's games played or must start in at least 66 percent of the institution's games. For pitchers, a student-athlete must have made at least 17 appearances or pitched 35 innings.
Lampert, an outfielder/first baseman from Upsala, Minn., was named All-NSIC second team and Academic All-NSIC this spring after batting .355 in 48 games with a team-high seven home runs and a team-high 53 runs scored, while collecting 15 doubles and 34 RBIs. He also led the squad in walks (32), on-base pct. (.477) and slugging pct. (.580). An All-NSIC first team honoree last season, Lampert batted .328 in conference play this season with 10 double and four home runs.
Lampert, an All-NSIC first team honoree in 2025, closed his two-year SMSU career batting .347 in 95 games with 29 doubles, 18 home runs and 73 RBIs.
Cortez, a second baseman from Brooten, Minn., was named All-NSIC first team and Academic All-NSIC this season leading SMSU with a .370 batting average in 48 games, while also leading the team in hits (68), doubles (16) and total bases (100). The 68 hits rank tied for fourth, while the 16 doubles is tied for eighth in the team single-season record book.
Quinn, a native of Eden Prairie, Minn., led SMSU starting pitchers with a 4.20 ERA, while tossing a team-high 70 2/3 innings in 12 starts with three complete games. An All-NSIC second team and Academic All-NSIC honoree this season, he led the team with 56 strikeouts, while opponents batted just .235. He pitched six or more innings in seven starts, while allowing two earned runs or less in six starts of those seven starts. The 70 2/3 innings rank as the ninth highest while the 12 starts are tied for second in the program single-season record book.
Wheeler, a third baseman from Minnetoka, Minn., and Academic All-NSIC honoree, played in 42 games with 37 starts, belting four home runs and collecting four doubles while closing with 21 RBIs.
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 2025-26 Divisions II and III Academic All-America® programs.
SMSU finished the 2026 season with a record of 20-28 overall.
