KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- Bradley senior pitcher Eitan Barbalat (Thornhill, Ont./Westmount Collegiate Institute) has been announced today as one of 30 nationwide candidates for the baseball division of the Lowe's Senior CLASS Award. An acronym for Celebrating Loyalty and Achievement for Staying in School, the Lowe's Senior CLASS Award is presented annually to NCAA Division I student-athletes in eight sports.
Barbalat becomes the second Bradley student-athlete to earn candidacy for the Lowe's Senior CLASS Award this year, as Toddy Reedy was one of 20 initial candidates for the inaugural soccer version of the award in the fall.
The marks the second year for the baseball division of the Lowe's Senior CLASS Award, which originally was introduced in 2001 to honor the attributes of college basketball seniors who fulfill their entire athletic eligibility and pursue their degree. The award focuses on the “Four C's” of Classroom, Character, Community and Competition. Sportscaster Dick Enberg, honorary chairman of the Lowe's Senior CLASS Award, first conceived the idea of an award for seniors in 2001 in response to the growing trend of men's basketball players leaving school early for the NBA. Lowe's has since expanded the Senior CLASS Award program to include men's hockey, men's lacrosse, baseball, softball and men's and women's soccer.
Majoring in cell and molecular biology, Barbalat carries a perfect 4.0 cumulative grade point average into his eighth semester at Bradley. Recently accepted to the Feinberg School of Medicine at Northwestern University, Barbalat has prepared for medical school by volunteering in the emergency room at OSF Saint Francis Medical Center in Peoria. Among his many other community service activities, Barbalat is a member of the campus United Way Board of Directors and he is the United Way Youth Committee Chairman, he serves as Vice President of the Mortor Board Honor Society at Bradley and he is a member of the LINCS (Leaders Instilling Knowledge through Cooperative Service) on campus. He also participates in the Buddy with the Braves and Missouri Valley Conference Just Read programs.
Barbalat was voted a first-team ESPN the Magazine Academic All-American last season, while also earning first-team Missouri Valley Conference Scholar-Athlete honors.
After making three scoreless appearances on the mound during his freshman season in 2005, Barbalat's sophomore season was cut short after just six appearances when a blood clot formed in his right shoulder. While surgery to remove the potentially life-threatening blood clot ended his 2006 season, Barbalat bounced back strong last season as one of the team's top relievers. He posted a 1-2 record with one save and a 1.61 earned run average in his 11 appearances, helping the Braves to a 32-21 overall record and a third-place finish in the Missouri Valley Conference race. Barbalat entered today's play at the Governor's Classic in Clarksville, Tenn., with an 0-1 record and a 2.45 ERA in two appearances to date this season.
Among the 30 candidates for the 2008 Lowe's Senior CLASS Award in baseball, Barbalat is one of four Missouri Valley Conference nominees, joining Creighton pitchers Ben Mancuso and Pat Venditte, as well as Wichita State ace Rob Musgrave.
