Posted: Jul 06, 2021
(Story courtesy of Texas Lutheran Athletics Department)
SEGUIN, Texas -- Texas Lutheran Baseball placed a program-best four student-athletes on the CoSIDA Academic All-District® 8 First Team for NCAA Division III Baseball.
The four Bulldogs - pitcher Matthew Hickey, outfielder Tyler Cauley, outfielder Cullen Motsinger, and designated hitter Tyler Post - advance to the Academic All-America® national ballot. The previous high for most TLU Baseball players on the Academic All-District First Team was three.
The 2020-21 Academic All-District® Baseball Team, selected by CoSIDA, recognizes 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 baseball honorees in four divisions — NCAA Division I, NCAA Division II, NCAA Division III and NAIA.
First Team Academic All-District® honorees advance to the CoSIDA Academic All-America® ballot. First, Second, and Third Team Academic All-America® honorees will be announced in late July.
All four Bulldogs were members of TLU's 2021 Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference Championship Team. The SCAC Championship qualified TLU for the 2021 NCAA Division III Baseball Championship - Whitewater, Wis. Regional. The Bulldogs were 30-14 overall and 15-3 in the SCAC. TLU went 2-2 and finished third at the six-team Whitewater Regional
Hickey is headed to the Academic All-America® national ballot for the first time. A junior academically and a sophomore athletically, Hickey holds a 3.92 grade point average as a kinesiology major.
Hickey was 3-1 with a 4.08 ERA in 39-2/3 innings pitched. He struck out 42 and walked 20.
Cauley is on the national ballot for a third time. A 2020 Academic All-American, Cauley made his third Academic All-District First Team. A May graduate of TLU, Cauley earned his bachelor's degree in business administration and his master's degree in accountancy. He held a 3.59 GPA in his undergraduate studies and a 3.50 GPA in graduate-level courses.
The SCAC Offensive Player of the Year in 2021, Cauley was a First Team All-West Region selection by D3baseball.com and a Second Team All-West Region selection by the American Baseball Coaches Association. He also was named the SCAC's Elite 19 award winner for baseball. The award recognizes the top student-athlete at each of the 19 SCAC Championships.
This past season, Cauley hit .314 with a career-high 13 home runs. He drove in 48 and scored 43 runs. He also had eight doubles and one triple. Cauley finished his Bulldog career in the university's top-three all-time for home runs (41) and RBIs (199). He had career numbers of .339 for batting average, .455 for on-base percentage, and .646 for slugging percentage.
Motsinger, the 2019 SCAC Elite 19 award winner, also graduated from TLU in May. He also earned a bachelor's degree in business administration and a master's degree in accountancy. Motsinger posted an undergrad GPA of 3.63 and a 3.44 GPA for graduate-level courses.
Motsinger, a three-year starter in center field and the 2019 ABCA/Rawlings Gold Glove winner in the outfield, hit .356 this season with eight doubles, four triples and a home run. He scored 38 runs and walked 31 times. He stole 10 bases.
Post, a sophomore academically and a second-year freshman athletically, was a First Team All-SCAC selection and a First Team All-West Region choice by the ABCA. As a mathematics major, Post holds a 3.47 GPA.
Post hit 11 home runs and had 13 doubles this season. He hit .336 and drove in 41. He has 14 career home runs in 54 career games. Post recorded an on-base percentage of .438 and a slugging percentage of .638 in 2021.
The Division II and III CoSIDA Academic All-America® programs are partially financially supported by the NCAA Division II and III national governance structures to assist CoSIDA with handling the awards fulfillment aspects for the 2020-21 Divisions II and III Academic All-America® programs. The NAIA CoSIDA Academic All-America® program is partially financially supported through the NAIA national office.
To view the entire 2020-21 CoSIDA Academic All-District® Baseball Team, click here.