By Jason Pugh, Northwestern State Associate Athletic Director for External Relations
NATCHITOCHES – Northwestern State’s most successful baseball season in seven years also saw the Demons produce a standout year in the classroom.
Three Northwestern players were named to the Academic All-Southland Conference, led by first-team selection Reese Lipoma. The teams were announced Friday and were chosen by a vote of league coaches, sports information directors and academic support personnel.
Lipoma, a graduate student from Gonzales, was a repeat selection after being named to the second team following the 2024 season.
A second-team All-Southland selection, Lipoma led Northwestern in batting average (.324), walks (48), runs (61) and hits (71) while stealing 11 bases in as many tries. Lipoma ranked in the top 10 in the Southland Conference in runs (3rd), walks (3rd), at-bats (219, 6th) and on-base percentage (.451, 9th).
In addition to his on-field performance, Lipoma maintained a 4.0 grade point average while pursuing a master’s degree in public health administration. A summa cum laude graduate in biology, Lipoma was named the Outstanding Public Health Graduate Student at NSU.
Joining Lipoma as Northwestern’s representatives on the second team are senior third baseman Rocco Gump and freshman left-handed pitcher Carter White.
Gump was a second-team All-Southland Conference selection at third base after sharing the conference lead in hit by pitches with a school-record 24. Gump also tied for fifth in the league with 19 stolen bases and ranked seventh in RBIs with a team-high 54.
A Chandler, Arizona, native, Gump graduated magna cum laude in May with an undergraduate degree in business administration, completing it with a 3.72 grade point average.
Joining the veteran Demons in earning academic all-conference honors is freshman left-handed pitcher Carter White, who finished the season as Northwestern’s Friday starter.
A Bossier City native, White shared the team lead in appearances with 19 and led the Southland in ERA (2.33) and in opponent’s batting average (.190) in conference play. His overall 2.65 ERA led Northwestern’s qualifying pitchers.
White posted a 4.0 grade point average while majoring in health and human performance.
The three all-academic selections are the most for Northwestern since the same number were honored in 2022.
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