OVERLAND PARK, KS – Jacksonville State's Todd Hornsby has been selected as one of 10 NCAA baseball student-athletes who excel both on and off the field as a finalist for the 2012 Lowe's Senior CLASS Award.

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.
 
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.

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.

Hornsby, a 6-foot-4 native of Clay, Ala., entered his senior season with eth Gamecock baseball team as a Preseason All-American by Collegiate Baseball and has not disappointed.
 
Picked by the league's head coaches as the Preseason Pitcher of the Year in the OVC, Hornsby has posted eight saves in 20 appearances as the Gamecocks' closer. A member of the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association's Stopper of the Year Watch List for the second-straight season, Hornsby set an OVC record for saves in a single season with 15th as a junior to rank 10th nationally.

Hornsby's career saves total is currently at 28, which is just three away from the OVC record of 31 set by Eastern Kentucky's Joe Whitten from 1995-98. He was recently named Jacksonville State's Male Athlete of the Year after winning the Eagle-Owl Award earlier this month.

The former Clay-Chalkville product is also involved in the community as he assisted with tornado relief efforts after devasting tornadoes ripped through the State of Alabama on April 27, 2011. He and other members of the Gamecock baseball team specifically assisted several familes whose homes were destroyed in the tornados in Calhoun County. Hornsby also works local baseball camps and youth baseball clinics with other Gamecock players.

Hornsby will graduate this summer with a double major in Industrial Technology Management and Occupational Safety and Health. He has been a member of the Dean's List, the Ohio Valley Conference Commissioner's Honor Roll and the JSU Athletic Academic Honor Roll.

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.
 
Here's a complete list of the 2012 Lowe's Senior CLASS Finalist:

Todd Hornsby, Pitcher, Jacksonville State
David Lyon, Catcher, Kent State
Thomas McCarthy, Third Base, Kentucky
Austin Nola, Shortstop, LSU
Phil Pohl, Catcher/First Base/Outfield, Clemson
Zach Price, Infield, Army
James Ramsey, Outfield, Florida State
Michael Roth, Pitcher/First Base, South Carolina
Ross Stripling, Pitcher, Texas A&M
Preston Tucker, Infield/Outfield, Florida