Five Bruins named CSC Academic All-District
2026 CSC Academic All-District Baseball Teams
GREENWOOD, Ind. -- Bellevue University's Carter Claerhout (Red Deer, Alberta), Xavier Lerma (Muscatine, Iowa), Ayden Makarus (Okotoks, Alberta), Brayden Andersen (Kearney, Neb.), and Kenji Miller (Shoreline, Wash.) were each named to the 2026 College Sports Communicators Baseball Academic All-District Team, the organization announced today.
The CSC Academic All-District program honors top student-athletes from NCAA Division I, II, and III, as well as the NAIA, for their combined achievements in competition and in the classroom.
Carter Claerhout, Graduate Student, First Baseman, Red Deer, Alberta
Claerhout batted .491 with a 1.502 OPS featuring a .533 on-base percentage and .969 slugging percentage. He totaled 110 hits, 18 doubles, one triple, 29 home runs, 86 RBI, 78 runs scored, 217 total bases, went 12-for-15 in stolen base attempts, and posted a .986 fielding percentage.
He led the NAIA in batting average, slugging percentage, OPS, home runs, total bases, and extra-base hits. Earlier this spring, Claerhout earned Frontier Conference Player of the Year, First Team All-Frontier Conference, Frontier Conference All-Tournament Team, and was the Frontier Conference Gold Glove winner at first base.
He is earning his Master's in Business Administration.
Xavier Lerma, Sophomore, Catcher, Muscatine, Iowa
Lerma hit .377 with a 1.196 OPS that saw him post a .458 on-base percentage and .738 slugging percentage. He recorded 69 hits, seven doubles, one triple, 19 home runs, 70 RBI, 36 runs scored, and 135 total bases.
He ranked 12th nationally in home runs, 20th in RBI, and 32nd in slugging percentage. Earlier this spring, Lerma earned First Team All-Frontier Conference and Frontier Conference All-Tournament Team honors. He was also named to the Frontier Conference Academic All-Conference Team and is an NAIA Scholar-Athlete.
He is majoring in Business Administration.
Ayden Makarus, Junior, Outfielder, Okotoks, Alberta
Makarus hit .347 with a 1.166 Ops that saw him record a .437 on-base percentage and .719 slugging percentage. He racked up 69 hits, 17 doubles, 19 home runs, 66 RBI, 65 runs scored, and 143 total bases while going 11-for-12 on stolen base attempts.
He ranked 12 nationally in home runs, 28th in total bases, 29th in RBI, 40th in slugging percentage, and 45th in runs scored. Earlier this spring, Makarus earned both First Team All-Frontier Conference and Frontier Conference All-Tournament team honors and was the Frontier Conference Gold Glove winner in left field. Additionally, he was named to the Frontier Conference Academic All-Conference Team and is an NAIA Scholar-Athlete.
He is majoring in Psychology.
Brayden Andersen, Senior, Right-Handed Pitcher, Kearney, Neb.
Andersen pitched to an 11-1 record and posted a 3.87 ERA. In 79 innings of work across 14 appearances, all starts, he struck out 68 batters against 26 walks while recording a WHIP of 1.34 and limiting opponents to a .268 batting average.
He ranked sixth nationally in wins, 39th in starts, 45th in innings pitched and 98th in strikeouts. Earlier this spring, Andersen earned First Team All-Frontier Conference honors while also being named to the Frontier Conference Academic All-Conference Team and an NAIA Scholar-Athlete.
He is majoring in Business Administration.
Kenji Miller Graduate Student, Left-Handed Pitcher, Shoreline, Wash.
Miller pitched to a 10-1 record and recorded a 4.45 ERA. In 85 innings on the hill that spanned 15 appearances, all but one of which were starts, he struck out 98 against 33 walks while recording a WHIP of 1.47 and holding opponents to a .281 batting average.
He ranked 10th nationally in wins, 18th in strikeouts, 39th in games started, and 45th in strikeouts per nine innings. Earlier this spring, Miller earned both First Team All-Frontier Conference and Frontier Conference All-Tournament team honors and was BU's Champion of Character representative. Additionally, he was named to the Frontier Conference Academic All-Conference Team and is an NAIA Scholar-Athlete. He was also CSC Academic All-District selection last year.
He is earning his Master's in Data Science.
To be eligible for CSC Academic All-District, student-athletes must be at least a sophomore academically and athletically and hold a cumulative GPA of 3.50 or higher on a 4.0 scale. Position players must compete in at least 90 percent of their team's games or start at least 66 percent, while pitchers must make at least 17 appearances or throw a minimum of 35 innings. Transfer and graduate students must also meet GPA requirements specific to their previous and current institutions.
Bellevue wrapped up the 2026 season with a 50-6 overall record, going 24-0 to win the Frontier Conference regular season championship. During the postseason, BU won the Frontier Conference Tournament title, qualified for their 28th NAIA National Tournament, and hosted an Opening Round Bracket for the sixth time.