FRISCO, Texas – The Texas A&M-Corpus Christi baseball team saw five of its players earn recognition for their work both on the field and in the classroom during the 2026 season on Thursday afternoon, as it was announced by the league office that
Cade Sanchez,
Christian Smith-Johnson,
Chase Mayer,
Isaiah Afework and
Easten Smith were named to the Southland Conference All-Academic Team.
To be eligible for the All-Academic Team, players must have posted a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.25 and participated in at least 50 percent of the team's games during the most recent season. As a unit, the baseball team posted a GPA of 3.56 during the spring semester.
Sanchez, a native of Houston, adds another honor to his mantle after also being named to the All-SLC First Team and All-Defensive Team at the conclusion of the season back in May. The second baseman won the conference batting title at a mark of .358 while also finishing seventh in the league in on base percentage (.441), tied for eighth in total hits (62), 10
th in stolen bases (11), 12
th in OPS (.932), tied for 15
th in doubles (11) and 22
nd in slugging percentage (.491). He also ripped off an 18-game hitting streak from March 3 to April 3, which went down as the fifth-longest in Islanders program history. In the classroom, Sanchez graduated with a 3.41 cumulative GPA in his Kinesiology degree, including a perfect 4.00 GPA during the spring semester.
Smith-Johnson, from North Richland Hills, Texas, completed his time in school with a 3.41 GPA in his Healthcare Administration degree. He played in 48 of 51 games and started 46 in his fourth and final year with the program, slashing .259/.357/.386 for a .743 OPS with three home runs, three triples, five doubles, 27 RBIs and 35 runs scored. He also stole 22 bases in 25 attempts, which was tied for third in the conference and tied for the second-most in a single season in program history, and in the field, he posted a fielding percentage of .992 while making just a lone throwing error in 121 chances as the team's primary centerfielder.
Afework, out of Federal Way, Washington, finished the year with a 3.80 cumulative GPA while working toward a degree in University Studies. He played in 31 total games and started 28, slashing .327/.419/.561 for an impressive .980 OPS with five home runs, four triples, two doubles, 17 RBIs and 28 runs scored. Despite missing time due to injury, Afework led the Islanders in home runs and triples while finishing tied for second in the entire conference in the latter.
Mayer, a native of Amherst, Ohio, finished the year with a 3.50 cumulative GPA while working toward his University Studies degree. The lefty made 14 appearances with five starts in 2026, posting a 3.57 ERA and a 1.13 WHIP with 53 strikeouts to just 16 walks in 45.1 innings. In games in which he pitched out of the bullpen, his numbers were even more impressive, posting a 2.16 ERA in 16.2 innings while picking up three saves. He was also named the Southland Conference Pitcher of the Week on March 30 after earning two of these saves in a weekend series win over UTRGV.
Smith, from Glenn Heights, Texas, finished the year with a 3.42 cumulative GPA while working toward a degree in Sport Management. He made 16 appearances with six starts during the season, posting a 5.40 ERA and 1.32 WHIP with 38 strikeouts in 50 innings. He was named the SLC Pitcher of the Week on February 23, earning the honor after tossing 7.2 scoreless innings across two different outings against power conference opponents Texas A&M and Pittsburgh.
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