BISMARCK, ND – The University of Mary landed a quintet of Marauders ballplayers on the 2026 Academic All-District Baseball Team, selected by College Sports Communicators (CSC).
Lucas Burgum,
Ryan Chamberlain,
Kieran Gaffney,
Isaac Pegors and
Cole Smith were all honored for their combined successes on the diamond and in the classroom.
Burgum, an All-Northern Sun right-handed pitcher from Mandan, ND, possess a 3.74 GPA in Biomechanics. The junior was named an NSIC Pitcher of the Week this season and was honored as an All-Central region performer after finishing the season with a record of 5-4 on the season and a 3.12 ERA and a 1.08 WHIP with 69 strikeouts in 69.1 innings. In NCAA Division II, Burgum ranks 9
th in hits allowed per 9 innings (6.36), 16
th in WHIP, 31
st in complete games (3) and 41
st in ERA.
Chamberlain, a right-handed pitcher from Laramie, WY, is a graduate student in Organizational Leadership who had a 3.89 GPA as an undergraduate student and a 4.00 GPA while pursuing his master's degree. The senior, who earned NSIC Pitcher of the Week honors once this season and three times in his career, struck out 67 hitters in a school-record 75 innings. Chamberlain finished the year with a record of 6-2 with two saves.
Gaffney, a third baseman from Broomfield, CO, recorded a 3.83 GPA in Business Administration. The senior started 52 games for the Marauders and hit .305 with seven doubles, a triple and 31 runs batted in as UMary won a school-record 37 games. He scored 37 runs.
A 2025 CSC Academic All-American, Pegors is a junior outfielder from Bismarck, ND, with a 3.88 GPA in Biology. The 2-time All-Northern Sun performer led the Marauders with 17 home runs and 62 RBIs, just missing his school-record marks of 18 and 65. Pegors earned NSIC and NCBWA Regional Player of the Week recognition this spring and hit .335/.436/.649 with 49 runs scored.
Smith, the Marauders closer from Lynden, Ontario, owns a 3.81 GPA in Business Administration. The sophomore right-hander earned All-NSIC and All-Region recognition and is an honorable mention All-American after setting a Marauders record with nine saves. He posted a 4-1 record with a 1.17 ERA and a 1.04 WHIP after limiting teams to three earned runs and four runs total in 23 innings.
To be eligible for the CSC Academic All-District Team, student-athletes must be at least a sophomore academically and athletically. An undergraduate student-athlete must have at least a 3.50 cumulative grade point average (on a 4.0 scale) and a graduate student-athlete must have at least a 3.50 cumulative grade point average (on a 4.0 scale) as both an undergraduate and a grad student. Along with academic requirements, student-athletes must have played in 90% of the baseball team's games or started at least 66% of the games.
The 2026 Academic All-District Baseball Teams, selected by College Sports Communicators, recognize the nation's top student-athletes for their combined academic and athletic performances. The CSC Academic All-America® program separately recognizes softball 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 2025-26 Divisions II and III Academic All-America programs.
For more information about the CSC Academic All-District and Academic All-America Teams program, visit AcademicAllAmerica.com.
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