IRVING, TX -- Ross Stripling (Texas A&M) is one of 30 NCAA baseball student-athletes selected as a candidate for the 2012 Lowe's Senior CLASS Award.

As a junior in 2011, Stripling earned third team Capital One Academic All-America and All-District VI honors in addition to All-America accolades on the diamond. Majoring in Finance, he has earned first team Academic All-Big 12 honors as both a junior and sophomore and maintains a 3.61 GPA.

The Aggie pitcher, who is a three-time Texas A&M Scholar Athlete, returned to school for his senior year after being drafted by the Colorado Rockies in the ninth round of the 2011 MLB Draft. He is on pace to graduate this May.

In addition to participating in A&M baseball's annual "Paint-a-Thon" during which the team seeks out a family in need of home repairs and assists in that effort, Stripling has always played a leading role in the team's baseball clinics for area kids. Stripling has also participated in the Classroom All-Stars program as well as the Junior Aggie Club Kids Day while visiting local schools to promote fitness.

The senior started last season as the A&M closer, pulling in four saves, before joining the rotation, where he ended up leading the nation with 14 wins.

He has also garnered preseason All-America honors from ESPN.com, the NCBWA (first team) and Louisville Slugger (second team).

In 2011, he ranked third in the Big 12 in innings pitched (125.2), strikeouts (113) and complete games (four). His 2.29 ERA was seventh best in the league, helping lead the Aggies to their first College World Series appearance since 1999.

For his efforts, he earned All-Big 12 first team honors, along with third team All-America recognitions from Louisville Slugger and the NCBWA. In addition, he was a third team Capital One Academic All-America recipient.

To be eligible for the award, a student-athlete must be classified as an NCAA Division I senior and have notable achievements in four areas of excellence - community, classroom, character and competition. The complete list of candidates follows this release.

The 30 candidates will be narrowed to 10 finalists midway through the regular season, and those 10 names will be placed on the official ballot. Ballots will be distributed through a nationwide voting system to media, Division I head coaches and fans who will select one finalist who best exemplifies excellence in the four Cs of community, classroom, character and competition