NEWPORT NEWS, Va. -- Three Christopher Newport baseball players were recognized as Academic All-District selections by the College Sports Communicators (CSC) on Tuesday afternoon as Josh Reinhold picked up a repeat selection while Chase Hustead and Sam Benedict collected their first career certificates. 

Reinhold becomes just the fourth player in program history to earn the prestigious academic honor more than once in his career with his second career recognition. He joins an elite list that includes Craig Johnson (2017, 2018), Jay Cassady (2022, 2023), and Jack Braley (2023, 2024). Hustead and Benedict are the most recent addition to the exclusive club of CSC Academic All-District picks, becoming the seventh and eighth Captains to secure the academic plaudits. 

The Division III CSC Academic All-District Baseball Teams recognize the nation's top student-athletes for their combined performances on the diamond and in the classroom. Student-athletes must carry a cumulative grade-point average of 3.50 or better, be of at least sophomore class standing, and participate in a specific amount of games during the season to qualify. 

This season, Reinhold earned first team All-Conference honors at shortstop while starting 34 and playing in 35 games. The junior from Lewes, Delaware hit .301 and delivered 14 extra-base hits including 10 doubles, ranking second on the team. He scored 31 runs and drove in 23 while slugging .463 in his third year. The on-base machine will carry a 13-game on-base streak into his senior season in 2025 and has only failed to reach base five times in his three-year career over 119 career games played. 

Reinhold moved up to seventh all-time in career walks with 87 after just three seasons while also ranking seventh in career assists with over 300 after leading the team for a third straight year. Off the field, Reinhold is majoring in Finance. 

Playing to his right at third base, junior Sam Benedict collects his first career selection after hitting .302 in 33 starts at the hot corner. The Glastonbury, Conn. native ranked second on the team in runs scored this season with 39 trips across home plate while also delivering 32 RBI, ranking second as well. He struck out just nine times in 152 plate appearances and continued his prowess as one of the top bunters in program history. Benedict ranks fifth all-time with 22 sacrifice bunts and will open his senior season as a .301 hitter with 20 stolen bases and 90 career base hits. 

Benedict is a Business major and carries a cumulative GPA exceeding the 3.50 standard for Academic All-District plaudts. 

Rounding out the 2025 award winners for CNU was newcomer Chase Hustead. He started six games for the Captains and appeared in 13 total contests on the mound in his first year at CNU. He earned a win with an eight-inning masterpiece against St. Elizabeth on March 2, striking out four and scattering four hits without giving up a run. He also earned a win in relief against Hampden-Sydney on April 2. He finished the year with 29 strikeouts in 36.1 innings pitched. Hustead is majoring in Cellular, Molecular, and Physiological Biology and boasts a near-perfect GPA after his first season. 

This season, Christopher Newport reached the Coast-To-Coast Athletic Conference Championship and finished the season with a 21-18 overall record.

For a complete list of the 2024-25 Academic All-District selections, click here.