WEST LIBERTY, W.Va. – West Liberty University's Ryan Talbert and James Salvatori have been named to the 2023 NCAA Division II Academic All-District® 2 Baseball Team.

    Selected by the College Sports Communicators (CSC), the 2023 CSC Academic All-District® Awards recognize the nation's top student-athletes for their combined achievements on the field and in the classroom. In order to be considered for the award, student-athletes must be a starter or key reserve on their teams and participate in at least 50 percent of all matches while maintaining a cumulative GPA of 3.50 or higher.

    The Hilltopper duo checked off all the boxes for Coach Eric Burkle's Hilltopper team, which mounted a late-season surge to earn a spot in the Mountain East Conference Tournament and drew national attention by opening the tournament with an 11-8 upset of top-seeded and No. 24-ranked Charleston.

    Talbert is a sophomore second baseman from Hagerstown, Md. who has compiled a 3.95 GPA as an Exercise Physiology major during his time on the WLU campus. A productive left-handed bat who normally occupied the No. 2 spot in the WLU lineup, Talbert hit .287 with 5 home runs and 30 RBIs. He pounded out 18 extra-base hits and ranked among the team leaders with a .457 slugging percentage.

    A sophomore left fielder from Wheeling Park High School, Salvatori carries a 3.79 GPA as a Visual Communications major. The team's leading hitter with a .333 batting average, Salvatori was named to the MEC All-Tournament Team after hitting .462 with a .932 slugging percentage during WLU's tournament run. He finished the season with 3 home runs and 21 RBIs and was 10-for-11 in stolen base attempts while posting a .465 slugging percentage and .407 on-base percentage.

    The 2023 CSC Academic All-District® 2 Baseball Team includes student-athletes from the MEC, Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) and Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association (CIAA) along with independents Bluefield State and Salem (W.Va.).

    As CSC Academic All-District® selections, both West Liberty honorees automatically advance to the CSC Academic All-America® ballot. First-, second- and third-team Academic All-America® honorees will be announced on June 7.