FRISCO, Texas –
Colton Mercer and
Nathan Blasick both were named First Team Southland All-Academic by the conference office as the All-Academic teams were released on Friday afternoon. Mercer and Blasick become the 10
th and 11
th All-Academic selections in
Blake Dean's tenure.
Mercer, a Sneads, Fla. native, finished his spring semester with a 3.28 cumulative grade point average. Mercer recently earned his degree from the University of New Orleans in May. He graduated with a degree in Interdisciplinary Studies with a focus on Community Leadership and Development.
Mercer has spent two years on the Lakefront. In that time, he earned Privateer Silver honors for a semester (3.5 to 3.99 GPA) and Privateer Blue honors for two semesters (3.0 to 3.49 GPA).
On the diamond, Mercer developed into one of the top pitchers in the Southland Conference and a First Team All-Conference selection. He was third in the league in strikeouts, tied for sixth in wins, sixth in ERA, eighth in innings pitched and ninth in opponent batting average.
Mercer had six wins in 2024 with the Privateers and added 82 strikeouts which trailed only Jacob Mayers (Nicholls) and Brooks Caple (Lamar). He had two games of double-digit strikeouts this season. Mercer struck out 11 in a win against UIW and surpassed that with 12 strikeouts in a start against Southeastern.
Blasick has been strong in the classroom throughout his two-year tenure on the Lakefront. He has earned Director of Athletics honors for the last three semesters after achieving a perfect 4.0 GPA. For his Privateer career, Blasick's GPA stood at a 3.973. He earned his degree in Finance from the University of New Orleans.
The Halifax, Pa. native made the transition to the mound and pitched the most games for the Privateers this season at 24. Blasick had two wins and two saves as a key arm in the Privateers' bullpen throughout the 2024 campaign.
He finished with a 3.93 ERA and struck out 40 batters in 34.1 innings. Blasick had 10 outings of at least two innings. His longest outing was three innings in the last series of the season where he held regular season champion, Lamar scoreless.
WE ARE YOUR KREWE
For 54 seasons, Privateer student-athletes have had the unique experience of wearing New Orleans across their chests. Like the city itself, our sports teams have been fueled by resiliency, grit, and the unquenchable desire to win. Our city also houses the nation's biggest celebration each year. And much like a Mardi Gras parade krewe, we are tethered to our community through pride, tradition, a culture of acceptance, and finally our commitment to show that New Orleans is a world-class city to live, learn, play and work. We invite you to become more involved with the only University that truly represents New Orleans all day, every day. Join #NOLAsTeam, We Are Your Krewe!
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