Missouri State baseball players Buddy Baumann, Ben Carlson and Chris Playter have earned spots on the CoSIDA/ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District VII team, it was announced Thursday.

    Baumann, a junior lefthander from Rogersville, Mo., leads the Missouri Valley Conference with his 8-1 record, while ranking second with 78 strikeouts and third with a 2.42 ERA. The southpaw’s .191 opponent average also leads the conference, and he ranks in the top 35 nationally in those same categories. Baumann has a 3.43 GPA in history education.

    Carlson, who was a third-team Academic All-American last season as a sophomore, is hitting .320 with team-highs of 13 home runs and 40 RBIs while spending most of his time in right field. The Topeka, Kan., native leads the MVC with 19 hit by pitch, 13 homers and a .680 slugging average, while ranking third in total bases (102), fourth in RBIs (40) and fifth in on-base percentage (.462). Carlson is a 3.86 student in general business.

    Playter is hitting .291 this season and ranks sixth in the MVC with 39 RBIs as MSU’s starting left fielder. A native of Raytown, Mo., Playter has nine game-winning RBIs this year to rank seventh in school history, and 15 for his career to place eighth on that list. The senior team captain leads MSU with 14 stolen bases and carries a 3.82 GPA in communications.

    The trio now advances to the national ballot, with voting to begin May 12. Missouri State has had 13 Academic All-Americans in its baseball history.

     To be eligible for Academic All-America consideration, student-athletes must be a starter or important reserve with legitimate athletic credentials and at least a 3.30 cumulative grade point average (on a 4.0 scale) in both undergrad and graduate work. Student-athletes must  have reached sophomore athletic and academic standing at their current institution and must have completed at least one full academic year at that institution.