March 21, 2018
Baseball Candidates Announced for 2018 Senior Class Award
OVERLAND, Kan. – Georgia Tech baseball senior Kel Johnson is one of thirty NCAA Division I baseball student-athletes selected as candidates for the 2018 Senior CLASS Award in collegiate baseball, it was announced today.
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.
A three-time all-ACC academic team selection (2015, 2016, and 2017) and a three-time member of the ACC academic honor roll (2014-15, 2015-16, and 2016-17), Johnson has also earned first-team all-ACC honors (2016), all-ACC freshman team recognition (2015) and freshman all-America plaudits (2015) during the course of his career at Georgia Tech.
He has played in over 160 games for the Yellow Jackets and has recorded 186 hits, 33 home runs, 36 doubles, three triples, 136 RBIs and scored 110 runs. With his 33 career home runs, he sits just outside of Georgia Tech’s top-20 career home run hitters, while his three home runs versus Georgia Southern back on Feb. 21, 2017 is tied for the most home runs by a Jacket in a single game in the program’s history.
This season, Johnson is hitting .263 with two home runs, eight RBIs and seven runs scored while playing mostly as the designated hitter.
An active member in the community, Johnson has worked numerous baseball camps and has been a part of the Michael Isenhour Toy Drive each year that he has been on The Flats.
A biology major, Johnson intends to go to dental school after the conclusion of his baseball career.
The 30 candidates will be narrowed to 10 finalists midway through the regular 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 2018 College World Series in June.
Baseball Candidates
Taylor Allum, Kennesaw State
Seth Kinker, Ohio State
Jack Anderson, Oregon State
Phil Madonna, Siena
Stephen Born, U.S. Naval Academy
Dylan Moore, Louisiana
Kaylor Chafin, Texas A&M
Mark Osis, George Washington
Micah Coffey, Minnesota
Jordan Powell, Rhode Island
Grant DeVore, Lamar
Connor Powers, Albany
Justin Garcia, Arkansas Little Rock
Chad Roberts, Northern Kentucky
Will Golsan, Ole Miss
Scott Schreiber, Nebraska
Ryan Hall, William & Mary
Cason Sherrod, Texas A&M
Tristan Helms, Appalachian State
Dustin Shirley, Dartmouth
Connor Hollis, Houston
Jamey Smart, Loyola Marymount
Nick Horvath, Florida
Troy Squires, Kentucky
Kel Johnson, Georgia Tech
John Valente, St. John’s
Jake Johnson, Notre Dame
Trey Vickers, Wichita State
Kyle Kasser, Oregon
Brooks Wilson, Stetson
For more information on all the candidates, visit seniorCLASSaward.com.
About the Senior CLASS Award
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.
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