Overland Park, Kan. - Thirty NCAA baseball student-athletes who excel both on and off the field were selected as candidates for the 2022 Senior CLASS Award. Stetson graduate Chris Gonzalez was the only member of the group from the ASUN Conference.
 
To be eligible for the award, a student-athlete must be classified as an NCAA Division I senior or graduate student and have notable achievements in four areas of excellence: community, classroom, character and competition. The complete list of candidates follows this release.
 
An acronym for Celebrating Loyalty and Achievement for Staying in School^®, the 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. 
 
Gonzalez graduated Magna Cum Laude with a degree in Corporate Finance, sporting a 3.7 GPA. He ss currently enrolled in graduate school and is expected to receive his MBA in June of 2022. Has been a multi-year selection to the ASUN All-Academic team and has been an Honor Roll and Deans List student every semester.
 
In addition to serving as a captain and a member of the baseball leadership committee, Gonzalez has worked with the Chisholm Center in DeLand to create youth sports clinics as part of their after-school program. He has also worked with Miracle League players in both Volusia and Miami-Dade Counties and has done volunteer work with the St. Louis Catholic Church and the Archdiocese of Miami-Dade County, helping families during the holidays and working a versiou annual event to raise money for families in need.
 
On the field, Gonzalez has been a gritty competitor for the Hatters on the mound, having appeared in 48 games as a pitcher, with 30 of those as starts over his five seasons. He has been named ASUN Pitcher of the Week twice in his career and he was selected to the 2019 ASUN All-Tournament team.
 
The 30 candidates for the Senior CLASS Award will be narrowed to 10 finalists later in the season, and those 10 names will be placed on the official ballot. Ballots will be distributed through a nationwide voting system to media, coaches, and fans, who will select one candidate who best exemplifies excellence in the four C's of community, classroom, character, and competition.
 
The Senior CLASS Award winner will be announced during the 2022 College World Series^® in June.
 
For more information on all of the candidates, visit SeniorCLASSAward.com.
 
About Stetson University Athletics: Stetson University's Athletics Program is driven by a shared purpose. It is what inspires, motivates and binds us together. More than a task, a reason for being. THE HATTER PURPOSE is to create and provide an experience of a lifetime through teamwork and relationships to achieve excellence. This purpose is achieved through five Core Values: Communication, Integrity, Excellence, Value People and Commitment. To learn more about the HATS program and our Core Values, visit GoHatters.com/HATS. Get in on the conversation on social media by following Stetson Athletics on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. For video content, visit our YouTube channels: Stetson Hatters, Stetson Athletics and, for live events, Hatter Vision.