COLLEGE STATION, Texas – Texas A&M senior pitcher Ross Stripling was selected on Wednesday as a finalist for the 2012 Lowe’s Senior CLASS Award, which recognizes student-athletes who excel both on and off the field.
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.
Stripling returned to Aggieland for his senior year after being drafted in the ninth round of last year’s Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft by the Colorado Rockies and has once again been a difference-maker on the mound for the Aggies.
The Southlake, Texas, native leads the Big 12 Conference in both innings pitched (78.0) and complete games this season (3) while maintaining a 6-2 record on the mound with a 2.87 ERA and a team-leading 73 strikeouts.
Additionally, Stripling, who led the country with 14 wins on the mound a year ago, continues to place his name among the most consistent and productive pitchers in Texas A&M baseball history. The right-hander enters the Texas series ranked fifth all-time in program history with 27 career wins, a figure that also places him seventh in Big 12 history.
Last season, Stripling earned both All-America and Academic All-America recognition for his efforts on the diamond and in the classroom.
An acronym for Celebrating Loyalty and Achievement for Staying in School, the Lowe’s Senior CLASS Award focuses on the total student-athlete and encourages students to use their platform in athletics to make a positive impact as leaders in their communities.
The finalists were chosen by a media committee from the list of 30 candidates announced in February. Nationwide fan voting begins immediately to determine the winner. Fans are encouraged to vote on the Lowe’s Senior CLASS Award website through June 11. Fan votes will be combined with media and Division I men’s head coaches’ votes to determine the winner.
Lowe’s, an official Corporate Partner of the NCAA, will announce the Senior CLASS Award® winner during the 2012 NCAA College World Series®, which will be held June 15-26 in Omaha.
For more information on all the finalists, visit seniorCLASSaward.com.
