Three Bears Named Academic All-District

MACON – Three Mercer baseball student-athletes – graduate student Noah Best, senior Conner Todaro, and junior Colton Cosper – were named to the College Sports Communicators Academic All-District Team on Tuesday. Not only do these three young men lead in the classroom, but they also lead on the field, serving as consistent starters during the 2024 baseball season.

The 2023-24 Academic All-District® Softball teams, selected by College Sports Communicators, recognize the nation's top student-athletes for their combined performances on the diamond and in the classroom. The CSC Academic All-America® program separately recognizes softball honorees in four divisions — NCAA Division I, NCAA Division II, NCAA Division III and NAIA.

To be eligible for the Academic All-District® and Academic All-America® award, student-athletes must be at least a sophomore academically and athletically and maintain a minimum 3.50 cumulative GPA. They must also demonstrate their commitment to their sport, competing in 90 percent of the institution's games played or starting in at least 66 percent of the games. Pitchers need 17 appearances or 25 innings pitched.

Best holds a 4.0 GPA while pursuing a Master's Degree of Higher Education - Higher Ed Leadership and is set to graduate this summer. The Villa Rica, Ga. native joined the Bears this season after playing at Birmingham Southern in undergrad. He started in 54 games this season and registered 50 hits, 33 RBI, and six home runs while accumulating a .932 fielding percentage as a starting third baseman.

Todaro majored in Sports Marketing and Analytics and graduated in May with a 3.904 GPA. In his second season at Mercer after transferring from Georgia Highlands Community College, Todaro started in 39 games and logged 45 hits, 27 RBI, and five home runs - three of which he hit in consecutive Southern Conference Tournament games. The Powder Springs, Ga. native was named to the All-Tournament Team after batting .471 for the week and was among leaders of tourney RBI (10). Todaro plans to pursue an MBA.

Cosper is pursuing a Marketing degree and has a 3.726 GPA. A leader on the mound for the Bears, he also finished the regular season second in the Southern Conference in innings pitched and was third in IP (93.0) after the completion of the tournament. He spent the season among the best in the league in ERA, finishing 2024 play with the fifth-lowest ERA (4.35) in the SoCon. He was second in batters struck out looking (23). The starting pitcher also recorded two saves for the Bears, coming out of the bullpen in the upset against Florida State and in the conference tournament win over Western Carolina. He was a 2024 All-Conference First Team selection by both the coaches and media. Cosper was raised in Carrollton, Ga. and has played at Mercer since his freshman year.

Players Mentioned

Noah Best

Colton Cosper

Conner Todaro

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