OVERLAND PARK, Kan. – Mercer's RJ Yeager was named as a candidate for the Senior CLASS Award as one of 30 NCAA baseball players selected, the committee announced Thursday.
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.
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.
The 30 candidates will be narrowed to 10 finalists in May, 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.
Since arriving at Mercer, Yeager has started in every contest. In 2019, he was selected to the All-SoCon second team by the league coaches.
In 2018, Yeager was named an NCBW Freshman All-American, Perfect Game/Rawlings Freshman All-America second team selection, and to the Brooks Wallace Award Watch List. Earning the Southern Conference Freshman of the Year, he also received SoCon All-Freshman Team honors.
Graduating in three and a half years, Yeager earned his business management degree from Mercer. He is a two-time Spring Academic All-SoCon recipient. He is currently working on his Master's of Business Administration.
The Senior CLASS Award winner will be announced during the 2021 College World Series
®in June.
For more information on all of the candidates, visit
seniorCLASSaward.com.
2021 Senior CLASS Award Baseball Candidates
Darren Baker, California
Evan Russell, Tennessee
Matthew Beck, LSU
Christian Scafidi, Notre Dame
Colton Bender, Quinnipiac
Davis Sims, Western Kentucky
T.J. Collett, Kentucky
Tyler Smith, East Carolina
Scotty Dubrule, Mississippi State
Luke Smith, Louisville
Tim Elko, Ole Miss
Preston Snavely, Wichita State
Drew Frederic, Troy
Andy Thomas, Baylor
Brett Harris, Gonzaga
Alex Toral, Miami
Daniel Jung, Notre Dame
Alec Trela, Memphis
Alex Kachler, North Florida
Marc Wangenstein, Albany
Ryan Knernschield, Eastern Illinois
Ben Wanger, Miami
Kyle Mora, UCLA
Robert Weissheier, Hofstra
Jake Mulholland, Oregon State
Austin Wilhite, Georgia Tech
Matthew Padre, Manhattan
Rankin Woley, Auburn
Zach Pettway, UCLA
RJ Yeager, Mercer