Elligible for the first time in his career, Nick Baker was selected to the Excellence Team.

Baseball 7/6/2026 9:00:00 AM Cooper Weidenthaler, Assistant Director for Media Relations

Baseball Program Boasts 27 Academic All-GLIAC Student-Athletes

Twenty-four (24) Excellence Team members is the most in program history by eight.

DETROIT -- The 2025-26 Wayne State University baseball squad had 27 student-athletes earn Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) All-Academic accolades. Twenty-four (24) of the honorees were tabbed as All-Academic Excellence Team members, which is the most in team history, surpassing the previous record of 16 (2024-25).

Criteria states that student-athlete must be an active member on their respective sport roster at the end of the season, and not a true freshman or a first-year transfer student.

Grade-point averages listed are calculated through the winter semester.

The twenty-four (24) student-athletes that earned included on the All-Academic Excellence Team honors for maintaining a cumulative grade-point average of at least 3.5 were redshirt junior Nick Baker (Brighton, Mich. / [Lansing CC]), junior Brady Blakita (Canton, Mich. / Detroit Catholic Central), sophomore Rocco Cardinale (Grosse Pointe Woods, Mich. / Grosse Pointe North), redshirt sophomore Drew Dawson (Plymouth, Mich.), junior Will DeMasse (Macomb, Mich. / Dakota), redshirt junior Ty Garza (Grosse Ile, Mich. / [Barton College]), senior Ethan Getting (Kalamazoo, Mich. / Portage Northern [Purdue Northwest]), senior Tony Hatzigeorgiou (Oxford, Mich.), senior Bennett Hitzelberger (Richmond, Mich.), redshirt sophomore Evan Langlois (Brownstown, Mich. / Woodhaven), sophomore Braylon Laroo (Canton, Mich. / Detroit Catholic Central), graduate student TJ McAllister (St. Clair Shores, Mich. / South Lake), graduate student Macio Miller (Kimball, Mich. / Marysville [Jackson CC]), redshirt sophomore Gavin Nash (Howell, Mich. / Hartland), graduate student Gabe Nazelli (Farmington Hills, Mich. / Detroit Country Day), sophomore Oscar Pace (Brighton, Mich. / Hartland), redshirt junior Coy Plummer (New Hudson, Mich. / South Lyon), graduate student Keegan Pulford-Thorpe (Aurora, Ont. / Newmarket [Central Florida/Georgia Highlands College]), redshirt freshman Rhett Roeser (New Baltimore, Mich. / Warren De La Salle), sophomore Carson Tehan (LaSalle, Ont. / Sandwich S.S.), junior Owen Tuccinardi (Ann Arbor, Mich. / Skyline), senior Logan Van Sicklen (Waterford Township, Mich. / Waterford Kettering), redshirt freshman Kavan White (Whitby, Ont. / Donald A. Wilson S.S.), and junior Gabe Zeldes (West Bloomfield, Mich. / Detroit Country Day).

Nine Warriors were first-time recipients due to being eligible for the first time this year. They were Baker (Management - 3.70), Cardinale (Finance - 3.89), Garza (Exercise & Sport Science - 3.60), Getting (Mechanical Engineering - 3.57), Laroo (Finance - 3.95), Pace (Finance - 3.88), Roeser (Exercise & Sport Science - 3.66), Tehan (Exercise & Sport Science - 3.81), and White (Finance - 4.00). Baker, Garza, and Getting were all eligible for the first time as transfers to WSU. On the other hand, both McAllister (Sports Administration - 3.83) and Nazelli (Exercise & Sport Science - 3.86) were honored for the fourth-straight season. It was Nazelli's third time on the Excellence Team and McAllister's second.

The six Warriors recognized for a third-straight season were Hatzigeorgiou (Biomedical Engineering - 3.85), Hitzelberger (Finance - 3.79), Miller (MBA - 3.66), Plummer (Marketing - 3.53), Pulford-Thorpe (Nutrition & Food Science - 3.89), and Van Sicklen (Exercise & Sport Science - 3.51). This campaign was both Miller and Plummer's second on the Excellence Team, while Van Sicklen appeared on the squad for the first time after being on the All-Academic Team each of the past two years. The remaining seven student-athletes all were honored in back-to-back seasons, combined with last year. They were Blakita (Marketing - 3.88), Dawson (Marketing - 3.77), DeMasse (Accounting - 3.74), Langlois (Finance - 3.80), Nash (Management - 3.56), Tuccinardi (Accounting - 3.96), and Zeldes (Exercise & Sport Science - 3.58). Of note, this was Nash's first time on the Excellence Team.

The three student-athletes that were on the All-Academic Team for maintaining a cumulative grade-point average of 3.0-3.49 were redshirt junior Caleb Sanders (Eastpointe, Mich. / Detroit Edison Public School Academy [Dayton]), redshirt junior Zach Warner (Lansdale, Pa. / North Penn/Homeschooled), and redshirt freshman Steven Whitted (Beverly Hills, Mich. / Birmingham Groves).

It was the third consecutive time being honored for Warner (Exercise & Sport Science - 3.21), while Sanders (Management - 3.33) and Whitted (Sport Management - 3.21) were listed for the first time in their collegiate careers.

The baseball team recorded a cumulative 3.607 GPA for the Winter 2026 semester, with eight Warriors achieving a perfect 4.0 term GPA. Thirty-one (31) student-athletes were included on the Athletic Director's Honor Roll for a term GPA of 3.5 or better.

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Players Mentioned

#25 Nick Baker: LHP; 6' 3"; Redshirt Junior; L/L

#5 Brady Blakita: 2B; 5' 8"; Junior; S/R

#8 Rocco Cardinale: RHP; 6' 2"; Sophomore; R/R

#4 Drew Dawson: OF; 6' 1"; Redshirt Sophomore; L/R

#34 Will DeMasse: RHP; 6' 0"; Junior; R/R

#7 Ty Garza: SS; 5' 11"; Redshirt Junior; R/R

#15 Ethan Getting: RHP; 6' 2"; Senior; R/R

#9 Tony Hatzigeorgiou: 3B; 6' 1"; Senior; R/R

#24 Bennett Hitzelberger: 1B/LF; 6' 2"; Senior; L/L

#20 Evan Langlois: RHP; 6' 4"; Redshirt Sophomore; R/R

Players Mentioned

#25 Nick Baker
: 6' 3"; Redshirt Junior; L/L
: LHP

#5 Brady Blakita
: 5' 8"; Junior; S/R
: 2B

#8 Rocco Cardinale
: 6' 2"; Sophomore; R/R
: RHP

#4 Drew Dawson
: 6' 1"; Redshirt Sophomore; L/R
: OF

#34 Will DeMasse
: 6' 0"; Junior; R/R
: RHP

#7 Ty Garza
: 5' 11"; Redshirt Junior; R/R
: SS

#15 Ethan Getting
: 6' 2"; Senior; R/R
: RHP

#9 Tony Hatzigeorgiou
: 6' 1"; Senior; R/R
: 3B

#24 Bennett Hitzelberger
: 6' 2"; Senior; L/L
: 1B/LF

#20 Evan Langlois
: 6' 4"; Redshirt Sophomore; R/R
: RHP