AUSTIN, Texas — Three Tusculum University student-athletes have been named to the 2026 NCAA Division II Academic All-District® 3 Baseball first team as selected by the College Sports Communicators.
Earning Academic All-District® distinction are: Luke Maicon, Ayden Moore and Caden Rector.
District 3 is comprised of colleges and universities representing the South Atlantic Conference, Peach Belt Conference and Conference Carolinas. To be eligible, a student-athlete must have a cumulative grade point average of 3.50 or higher and must be at least a sophomore. For position players, nominees must have competed in at least 90 percent of their team’s games played or have started in at least 66 percent of the total number of team games played. For pitchers, nominees must pitch 25-plus innings or appear in 17 contests as a pitcher.
Maicon, a graduate student from Wake Forest, North Carolina, has a 3.81 GPA at Tusculum where he is a member of the SAC Commissioner’s Honor Roll, Dean’s List, Charles Oliver Gray Honors List and the Athletic Director’s Honor Roll. He is a two-time recipient of the Division II Athletic Directors Association Academic Achievement Award and was the 2024 honoree for the Tusculum Student-Athlete Academic Achievement Award.
In his 39 career appearances, he has posted a 4-2 record with two saves and a 6.40 earned run average. In his 57.2 innings of work, he has totaled 38 strikeouts. In 2026, he posted a solid 3-1 record in his 22 appearances where he notched one save.
Moore, a sophomore pitcher from Lebanon, Tennessee, boasts a 3.97 GPA while majoring in biology and pre-medicine. He is a member of the SAC Commissioner’s Honor Roll, Dean’s List, President’s List, Charles Oliver Gray Honors List and the Athletic Director’s Honor Roll.
Moore made 17 mound appearances this spring where he went 1-1 in his 23 innings which included one start. During his TU career, he has a 3-1 record in 33 appearances which includes 43 innings with 40 strikeouts.
Rector, a graduate student from Knoxville, Tennessee, returns to the CSC Academic All-District team, after earning this distinction in 2025 while playing at Chowan University. In his lone Tusculum campaign, he played in 42 games at shortstop including 38 starts. He batted .239 with 28 hits including four doubles, one home run and 21 RBI. He scored 23 runs and led the team with 78 fielding assists.
The CSC Academic All-America® program separately recognizes softball honorees in four divisions — NCAA Division I, NCAA Division II, NCAA Division III and NAIA. Academic All-District® honorees advance to the CSC Academic All-America® ballot. First-, second- and third-team Academic All-America® honorees will be announced later this month.
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 2025-2026 Divisions II and III Academic All-America® programs.
