BRIDGEWATER, Mass. -- Bridgewater State University junior first baseman Ryan Flaherty and junior third baseman Riley Thornell have been selected to the 2025 Academic All-District® One Division III Baseball Team by the College Sports Communicators (CSC).

Flaherty and Thornell are the only two student-athletes from the Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference (MASCAC) to garner the honor.

The 2025 Academic All-District® Baseball Teams, selected by College Sports Communicators, recognize the nation’s top student-athletes for their combined performances on the field and in the classroom. The CSC Academic All-America® program separately recognizes softball honorees in four divisions — NCAA Division I, NCAA Division II, NCAA Division III and NAIA.

To be eligible for all-academic honors, a student-athlete must be a starter or a key reserve, maintain a cumulative grade point average of 3.50 on a scale of 4.00, have reached sophomore athletic and academic standings at her current institution and be nominated by her sports information director. A Student-athletes must have also competed in 90 percent of the team's games or started in at least 66 percent of the games. For pitchers, a student-athlete must have made at least 17 appearances or pitched 35 innings.

Flaherty, who hails from Duxbury, Massachusetts, boasts a strong 3.61 GPA and is majoring in exercise physiology .

Flaherty slugged his way to a school record 17 home runs and 64 RBI in 2025 while batting .298 (51-171) with seven doubles and 36 runs scored in 45 games. The Duxbury, Massachusetts native also notched 109 total bases and posted a .637 sluggling percentage.

At first base, Flaherty committed just three errors in 310 chances (287 putouts, 20 assists) for a .990 fielding percentage.

Flaherty garnered All-MASCAC First Team accolades in 2025 and was also selected to both the D3Baseball.com and ABCA/Rawlings NCAA Division III All-Region Two Teams.

In 87 games over his first two seasons with the Bears, Flaherty checks in with a a .327 career batting average (107-327) with 20 doubles, 23 home runs, 80 runs scored and 109 RBI to go along with a .599 slugging percentage. He is presently third among the program's all-time home runs leaders traling only John Kiely (29 HR, 1986-87) and Jay Doherty (27 HR, 1989-92).

A native of Wareham, Massachusetts, Thornell is a physical education major with an excellent 3.61 GPA.

In 43 games this season, Thornell batted .241 (32-133) with six doubles, a home run, 29 walks, 33 runs and 17 RBI. He also recorded a .389 on base percentage.

Thornell has appeared in 107 games (102 starts) over his first three seasons with the Bears. He checks in with a career .289 (95-329) batting average with 14 doubles, two triples, a pair of home runs, 72 walks, six stolen bases, 73 runs and 62 RBI as well as a .433 on base percentage.

Flaherty and Thornell helped the BSU baseball team capture its fourth straight Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference (MASCAC) regular season and tournament championships in 2025. The Bears (30-15) qualified for the NCAA Division III Tournament for the fourth straight year and 18th time overall, and hosted a four-team regional at Alumni Park. Bridgewater reached the 30-win mark for the seventh time in program history and for the third time in the last four years.

2025 CSC Academic All-District® Division III Baseball Teams (PDF)