Feb. 24, 2011

WACO, Texas - Baylor senior outfielder Chris Slater is one of 30 NCAA baseball Division I student-athletes selected as candidates for the 2011 Lowe's Senior CLASS Award in baseball.

Slater, a Plano, Texas native, is one of 15 candidates on the list with a cumulative grade point average of 3.5 or better. A member of the Dean's List and Big 12 Commissioner's Honor Roll and in each of his first seven semesters at Baylor, Slater is on track to graduate with Finance degree in May.

Slater was a second-team Academic All-American and first-team Academic All-Big 12 selection in 2010. He's also a two-time recipient of the Academic Achievement Award which is given to the Baylor student-athlete with the highest GPA.

After playing in just 35 games and making four starts in his first two years with the Bears, Slater made 22 starts and appeared in 42 games in 2010. He hit .341 with 20 RBI, 22 runs scored and a team-leading .557 slugging percentage. He was one of two players on the team to walk more often than strikeout.

To be considered for the Senior CLASS award, student-athletes must have notable achievements in four areas of excellence - community, classroom, character and competition. The award's name is an acronym for Celebrating Loyalty and Achievement for Staying in School.

The candidate pool will be narrowed to 10 finalists in late April. The 10 finalists will be placed on the official ballot that will be distributed through a nationwide voting system to media, coaches and fans. The winner of the 2011 Lowe's Senior CLASS Award for baseball will be announced on June 24 at the College World Series. For more information on all 30 candidates, visit www.seniorclassaward.com.