AUSTIN, TX – University of Rochester baseball junior pitcher Nolan Sparks was named a College Sports Communicators (CSC) Third-Team Academic All-American® as announced by CSC on Wednesday.
 
Sparks is UR baseball's 10th Academic All-American, and the program's first since Garrett Renslow earned back-to-back first-team honors in 2019 and 2020.
 
"Nolan is extremely driven in everything he does," Head Baseball Coach Joe Reina said. "In the classroom, at practice and on the mound. He is a great representative of our University and our program, and we're very proud of him."

Sparks, an American Baseball Coaches Association (ABCA) and D3Baseball.com First-Team All-Region III selection pitched a perfect 7-0 record in 11 starts for the Yellowjackets this season, compiling a 2.76 ERA and 77 strikeouts over 62.0 innings pitched. The junior's 77 strikeouts are also the second-most in a single season in program history, while Sparks' seven wins are tied for second and his 11 games started are tied for third.
 
The 2023 Liberty League Pitcher of the Year and a First-Team All-Liberty League selection, Sparks held opponents to a .230 batting average and yielded just 53 hits, 22 walks and 19 earned runs, while ranking in the top five in the conference across 10 different categories.
 
Sparks was also superb against conference foes as the 'Jackets' Friday starter, going 6-0 with a 1.67 ERA in 43.0 innings against Liberty League foes, holding conference opponents to just 11 runs (eight earned) on 29 hits, striking out a team-high 58 batters in conference play.
 
Additionally, after earning Perfect Game Collegiate Baseball League Pitcher of the Year honors for the Batavia Muckdogs last summer, Sparks will pitch for the Vermont Mountaineers of the New England Collegiate Baseball League this summer.
 
A double major in business and neuroscience, the Aurora, CO native is a two-time Liberty League All-Academic selection, received the Simon Scholar Award and TAed for multiple organic chemistry classes last year. Off the field, Sparks serves as a research assistant for Anne Nichols in the Loiselle Lab in the Center for Musculoskeletal Research at Strong and volunteered at a baseball camp for young kids this past summer.
 
The 2022-23 CSC Academic All-America® Baseball Teams recognize the nation's top student-athletes for their combined performances on the diamond and in the classroom. To be nominated, a student-athlete must be a starter or important reserve with at least a 3.50 cumulative grade point average at his or her current institution.
 
The CSC Academic All-America® program separately recognizes baseball and softball honorees in four divisions — NCAA Division I, NCAA Division II, NCAA Division III and NAIA.