GREENWOOD, Ind.—For the second-straight year, Lewis & Clark College baseball placed four players on the College Sports Communicators (CSC) Academic All-District Baseball team, the CSC announced on Tuesday morning. 
 
Junior shortstop Brandon Gonzaga became the first Pioneer to earn the award multiple times this century, after he was recognized for a second-straight season. Junior catcher/designated hitter Joaquin Sandoval, sophomore third baseman Michael Aikawa and sophomore utility player Bret Potter were each honored for the first time in their careers. All four players were recognized on the Northwest Conference All-Conference team this Spring, as they excelled on both the diamond and in the classroom. 
 
The Academic All-District Teams recognize the top student-athletes for their performance on and off the field. To be eligible, students must have a cumulative GPA of 3.50 or higher, be at least a sophomore academically and athletically, and have competed in 90% of the team's games or started in at least 66% of the institution's games. Pitchers must have appeared in at least 17 games or pitched 35 or more innings.
 
Aikawa is a Biology major hailing from Piedmont, California. He earned the Dell Smith Scholar-Athlete of the Year Award (Gold) this Spring at the Excellence in Lewis & Clark Year in Sports (ELCYS) Award Show – as the top male student-athlete on campus. The sophomore third baseman enjoyed a breakout season in which he was named to the NWC All-Conference First Team and D3baseball.com All-Region Third Team. Aikawa started in 38 of the team's 39 games and led the Pioneers in batting average (.372), hits (54), doubles (14) and walks (25). He finished the season on a 13-game hitting streak, that included six multi-hit games and four games with multiple RBI. Aikawa put together one of the best games of his season on March 29, when he went 3-4 with two runs, two RBI, two doubles and a home run, in a conference win over the University of Puget Sound. 
 
Gonzaga is an Economics major hailing from Porter Ranch, California. He earned the award for a second-straight season after serving as the Pioneers starting shortstop for the third year in a row. The junior started all 39 games and hit .283 with 49 hits, 42 runs, 23 RBI and 23 stolen bases (23-28) to earn a spot on the Northwest Conference Honorable Mention Team. He finished second in the NWC in stolen bases and just outside the top-50 in the nation (27) in the category. Gonzaga ranks fourth in program history for steals in a single-season and eighth for a career (32). He enjoyed one of his best games of the season on April 19 in a win over NWC Regular-Season Champion Pacific University. Gonzaga went 4-5 with two runs, one RBI and swiped a base. 
 
Potter is a Biology major hailing from Santa Clarita, California. The sophomore right fielder and relief pitcher earned a spot on the NWC All-Conference Honorable Mention Team, after starting all 39 games and making 10 appearances out of the bullpen. He finished the season hitting .305 with 40 hits, 21 runs scored, 18 RBI, eight extra-base hits and 10 stolen bases in 13 attempts. On the mound, Potter posted a 1-0 record with two saves and a 2.38 earned run average in 11.1 innings pitched. He posted new career-highs in nearly every category both offensively and on the mound and registered a .980 fielding percentage with two outfield assists. The sophomore went 3-4 with two runs, an RBI and a double in the team's 20^th win of the season – an 8-0 victory over Linfield University on May 3. 
 
Sandoval is an Environmental Studies major, with a minor in Economics, hailing from Santa Barbara, California. He took home his first career All-Conference honors (NWC Honorable Mention Team), after starting a career-high 35 games at either catcher or designated hitter. The junior carved out a far larger role, after only starting 29 games his first two seasons. He racked up 31 hits, 33 runs scored, 27 RBI and 18 walks. He tacked on seven home runs (third on the team) and six doubles to post a .455 slugging percentage. Sandoval also threw out six baserunners for a 30 percent caught stealing rate. He recorded one of his best games of the year against Puget Sound on March 30. Sandoval went 3-4 with two runs, three RBI, a walk and a homer in a win over the Loggers.