Four Ole Miss Rebels Selected to 2023-24 CSC Academic All-District Team

Four Ole Miss Rebels received postseason accolades on Tuesday afternoon.

Ole Miss Jackson Ross vs. Arkansas-Little Rock at Oxford-University Stadium in Oxford, Miss. on Tuesday, February 27, 2024. Ole Miss won 12-6. / Bruce Newman / USA TODAY NETWORK

OXFORD, Miss. – The Ole Miss Rebels baseball team missed the postseason for the second year in a row, but there are still a few players who need to be celebrated for their efforts during the 2023-24 season.

College Sports Communicators (CSC) revealed their 2024 Academic All-District Baseball Team on Tuesday afternoon, and four Rebels made the cut. Infielder/designated hitter Will Furniss, outfielder Ethan Groff, infielder Jackson Ross, and RHP Mason Nichols all earned academic honors. Groff and Nichols have been recognized for their academic efforts two years in a row.

The Academic All-District Teams recognize the country’s best student-athletes for their combined successes on the diamond and in the classroom. To qualify, students must have at least a 3.50 cumulative grade point average (on a 4.0 scale) while also participating in at least 90 percent of the team's games, and pitchers must have at least 25 innings pitched.

This spring, Groff received an Intercollegiate Athletics Administration Grad Certificate to go with his Master's in Sport Analytics and Bachelor's of Science in Management. The Orlando, Fla., native was one of two Rebels to appear in every game in 2024, and also led the team in stolen bases (15) and doubles (11).

Furniss played in 51 games for Ole Miss this spring and recorded a .276 batting average during SEC play with an OPS of .853, good enough for third on the team.

Nichols was Ole Miss' SEC Community Service Team representative earlier this season for all his impressive work off the field, and he made 17 appearances and six starts for the Rebels to record a 4.15 ERA over 39 innings of work.

Ross graduated from Ole Miss this spring with an Intercollegiate Athletics Administration Grad Certificate to join to his Bachelor's of Arts in Health Sciences. Ross was the other Rebel who appeared in all 56 games in 2024 but was the only player who started in all of them. Ross led the team in runs scored (52) and walks (55) this season.