Linfield’s Cole Bixenman and Kevin Allan have been named to the CoSIDA/Capital One Academic All-District District VIII Baseball Team in recognition of their academic accomplishments and on-field contributions to the nation’s No. 3 baseball club.

The 2011 Northwest Conference Baseball Player of the Year, Bixenman also excels in the classroom, carrying a 3.78 grade point average in finance. One of two players to start all 40 games, Bixenman hit 10 home runs this season to tie Linfield’s all-time record for career homers (32). He led the Wildcats in hits (57), RBI (44) and total bases (102).

The senior catcher was also an academic all-district selection during his junior and sophomore seasons.

Allan, a first-year starter at shortstop, has maintained a 3.86 GPA while majoring in biology. On the field, he hit .313 with a team-leading 17 doubles as well as one triple and two homers to total 19 RBI. He was a first team all-NWC honor and also named NWC Baseball Offensive/Field Student-Athlete of the Week once during the 2011 season.

Bixenman and Allan helped Linfield achieve its second consecutive Northwest Conference title and second straight trip to the NCAA Division III Championship. They are two of six baseball players from the NWC to be named to the academic team.

The all-district team, selected by members of the College Sports Information Directors of America, was chosen from a pool of nominees from colleges and universities in Washington, Oregon, Idaho, California, Nevada, Arizona, Utah, Alaska and Hawaii, as well as British Columbia, Canada. The college division includes student-athletes representing NCAA Division II, NCAA Division III, NAIA, Canadian and two-year schools.

First team all-district honorees are automatically considered for the academic all-America team, which will be voted on and announced later this month.