LAS CRUCES, N.M. - NM State baseball standouts Nick Gonzales and Tristan Peterson were named to the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA) 2020 Academic All-District Team on Thursday. 

The pair becomes just the second and third Aggies in program history to receive the honor, which recognizes the nation's top student-athletes for their combined performances on the field and in the classroom. Former NM State infielder Richard Stout earned the same recognition (District 7) in 2009.

Gonzales, who was a 2019 Academic All-WAC honoree and is majoring in individualized studies, maintained a 3.33 GPA in the classroom while turning heads with his play on the field this past year. A unanimous Preseason All-American entering the 2020 campaign, the native of Vail, Ariz., was arguably the best player in all of collegiate baseball during the shortened season.

The Western Athletic Conference (WAC) Preseason Player of the Year hit .448 through 16 games, ranking first nationally in home runs (12), runs (28), runs batted in (36) and total bases (67). He was named the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association (NCBWA) National Player of the Month for February.

Gonzales, who owned a nation-best on-base streak of 82 consecutive games when the season was suspended, put up eye-popping numbers during the abbreviated campaign. He hit for the cycle, including two home runs, against Iona on Feb. 23 before smashing five home runs in a single day against Purdue Fort Wayne on Feb. 29, knocking out two dingers in game one of the doubleheader before swatting three more, including an inside-the-park grand slam, in the nightcap. 

Peterson, meanwhile, holds a perfect 4.0 GPA while majoring in individualized studies. A 2019 Academic All-WAC honoree, he entered the season as a Preseason All-American after he was anointed an All-American by Collegiate Baseball Newspaper and the NCBWA one year earlier.

An All-WAC First Team selection in 2019, the Tucson, Ariz., native batted .400 with 20 home runs and 90 RBI. He ranked second in the country in RBI, fourth in slugging percentage (.769) and ninth in on-base percentage (.520).

Peterson was hitting .250 with one home run and 10 RBI in the early going of the 2020 campaign before its suspension.

All honorees selected first-team Academic All-District, including Gonzales and Peterson, will advance to the CoSIDA Academic All-America ballot. Academic All-America honorees will be announced from June 8-11.

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