TUCSON, Ariz. ?- Arizona’s Brad Mills has been named one of 30 candidates for the 2007 Lowe’s Senior Class Award it was announced on Monday. Beginning this year, the award will be presented annually to college baseball’s outstanding senior student-athlete.
Lowe’s recently announced the addition of baseball and three other sports to the award program that originally launched in 2001-02 with basketball. An acronym for Celebrating Loyalty and Achievement for Staying in School, the award is designed to honor the attributes of college senior student-athletes who stay in school and pursue the many rewards that a senior season can bring.
Candidates are selected based on personal qualities that define a complete student-athlete. While on-the-field performance during their collegiate careers is a factor in determining candidates and the eventual winner, their personal character and off-the-field achievements in the classroom and community are major areas of focus.
Mills, a left-handed pitcher from Mesa, Ariz., and the only candidate from the Pacific-10 Conference, has worked his way into being a vital component for the 12th-ranked Wildcats. After being the only player out of 80 that tried out for the UA team in the fall of 2003 to make the roster, Mills has transformed himself from a lightly used reliever to the No. 2 starter in the Arizona rotation.
He currently leads the Wildcats with an 8-2 record on the mound and has posted a 2.89 ERA and 62 strikeouts in 62 1/3 innings pitched. He most recently tossed his first career complete game, limiting Stanford to just one run on seven hits over nine innings to help Arizona extend its winning streak to 16-straight games (since ended).
In addition to his outstanding efforts on the baseball field, Mills currently has a 3.22 GPA as a civil engineering major at Arizona. A 2006 second-team Academic All-Pac-10 selection, he is expected to receive his undergraduate degree from the university in December.
He was selected in the 22nd round by the Toronto Blue Jays in the 2006 Major League Baseball draft, but opted not to sign a professional contract and return to Arizona for his senior season and to complete his studies.
A national media committee will select 10 finalists for the Lowe’s Senior CLASS Award in May. Those 10 names will then be placed on the official ballot for a nationwide vote beginning May 9 and concluding June 6. Fan balloting will be coupled with votes from coaches, media and sponsors to determine the recipient of the inaugural award. The award winner and the college baseball All-Senior All-America Team will be announced this June during the 2007 College World Series in Omaha, Neb.
The 30 candidates are:
Austin Adams of Texas Christian
Ryan Bird of Saint Louis
Joey Boaen of Pennsylvania
Brandon Bowser of New Orleans
John Brandt of Wofford
Jay Brossman of Utah
Wes Brundridge of Charleston Southern
Chris Cates of Louisville
Eric Cattoni of Saint Mary's
Jim Chapman of Vermont
Andy DeLaGarza of Coastal Carolina
Nick Derba of Manhattan
Chris Dunn of Florida International
Ryan Gryskevicz of Bucknell
Bryan Henry of Florida State
Jacob Howell of Ohio State
Michael Hyde of Florida State
Aaron Ivey of Oklahoma
Matt LaPorta of Florida
Adam McDaniel of Georgia
Steven Mignogna of Radford
Brad Mills of Arizona
Eric Rose of Michigan
Emeel Salem of Alabama
Scott Simon of Northern Illinois
Keanon Simon of Oklahoma State
Daniel Stovall of New Mexico
Josh Thompson of Mercer
Ryan Turner of Georgia Tech
Kasey Wahl of Evansville
