2021 CoSIDA Academic All-District Baseball Team
SEWARD, Neb. – A trio of Bulldogs from the 2021 GPAC championship and NAIA World Series qualifying Concordia University Baseball team were honored on Thursday (July 1) by College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA). The organization has recognized Nathan Buckallew, Jesse Garcia and Nick Little as 2021 Academic All-District® Baseball Team award recipients. They each landed on the NAIA’s District 3 team, which covers the states of Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, North Dakota, Nebraska, South Dakota and Wisconsin.
The 2021 Academic All-District® Baseball Teams, selected by CoSIDA, recognize the nation’s top student-athletes for their combined performances on the field and in the classroom. The CoSIDA Academic All-America® program separately recognizes football honorees in four divisions — NAIA, NCAA Division I, NCAA Division II and NCAA Division III. Concordia’s three Academic All-District award winners were most among District 3 schools.
A senior from Urbandale, Iowa, Buckallew earned honorable mention All-GPAC honors in 2021 while serving as the team’s closer. Also an NAIA Scholar-Athlete, Buckallew earned his degree from Concordia in Business Administration. This past season, he made 21 appearances on the mound (28.1 innings) and recorded a 2.22 ERA, a 4-0 record, seven saves and 28 strikeouts. In his collegiate career, Buckallew appeared in 35 games, registering a 3.62 ERA and nine saves.
Garcia has garnered Academic All-District honors for the second year in a row. The power-hitting first baseman has climbed to the top of the program’s all-time home run list (tied with Keaton Candor) with 29 career blasts. The two-time second team All-GPAC award winner batted .346 with 54 runs, 17 doubles, 14 home runs, 49 RBIs, a .474 on-base percentage and .670 slugging percentage in 2021. The native of El Cajon, Calif., has attained NAIA Scholar-Athlete status while studying Criminal Justice.
Little concluded his collegiate career as one of the top pitchers in program history. A native of Lithia, Fla., Little has collected three Academic All-District and two Academic All-America awards from CoSIDA in his career. This past season, Little eclipsed or equaled school all-time records for wins (27), innings pitched (253.1) and complete games (15). In 40 games as a Bulldog, Little went 27-6 with a 3.41 ERA and 225 strikeouts. He was named the 2018 GPAC Pitcher of the Year. In 2021, Little went 8-1 with a 4.73 ERA in 64.2 innings. Little graduated from Concordia with a Business degree.
First-team Academic All-District® honorees advance to the CoSIDA Academic All-America® ballot. First- and second-team Academic All-America® honorees will be announced in late July.
Concordia Baseball Academic All-District honorees
Jake Adams (2017)
Nathan Buckallew (2021)
Jesse Garcia (2020, 2021)
Jaydee Jurgensen (2015)
Nick Little (*2018, *2020, 2021)
Thomas Sautel (*2020)
*Academic All-American