SAINT PETER, MINN. – Gustavus Adolphus baseball player Dalton Mattson (So., Princeton, Minn.) has been named to the 2014-15 Academic All-District Baseball Team for District Six. The Capital One Academic All-District Teams, selected by the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA), are released to recognize the nation’s top student-athletes for their combined performances athletically and in the classroom.
An economics major with a cumulative GPA of 3.95, Mattson was the Gusties’ first baseman of choice this past season. The sophomore was second on the team in batting average (.350) after accumulating 41 hits, 20 runs and 13 RBIs over the course of the 2015 season. Mattson also provided a steady glove at first base, as the Princeton, Minnesota native tallied a .993 fielding percentage after making just two errors all season.
“We coaches are very proud of Dalton on how he has developed as a player,” said head coach Mike Carroll. “He got his feet wet as a freshman and has taken his game to the next level this past year, as he won the starting first base job as a sophomore and was also one of our best hitters. This academic honor shows how well-rounded he is as a student-athlete on and off the field.”
Mattson is one of 11 players named to the Division III District Six First Team. Of those 11 individuals, five represent the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference. Brett Becker and Logan Hershey of Saint John’s University, Ben Buerkle of Saint Mary’s University and Nolan Baker of Carleton College are the other honorees from the MIAC.
The Gustavus baseball team showed signs of improvement in 2015, as it finished ninth in the conference with an MIAC record of 6-12, a four-win improvement from 2014. Its 14-22 overall record was also an improvement, as the Gusties finished 7-24 overall the previous year.
First-team Academic All-District honorees advance to the Capital One Academic All-America Team ballot, where first-, second- and third-team All-America honorees will be selected later this month.