KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- Boasting a perfect 4.0 cumulative grade point average and a .324 career batting average, Bradley senior first baseman/outfielder Grant Escue (Washington, Ill./Washington H.S.) has been named one of 30 national candidates for the annual Lowe's Senior CLASS Award.
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: Classroom, Character, Community and Competition. An acronym for Celebrating Loyalty and Achievement for Staying in School, the Lowe's Senior CLASS Award focuses on the total student-athlete and encourages those leaders to use their platform in athletics to make a positive impact on their circle of influence.
The 2009 season marks the third year for the baseball division of the Lowe's Senior CLASS Award. Last year, Bradley pitcher Eitan Barbalat was one of 10 finalists for the award and is now enrolled in medical school at Northwestern University.
Escue began his career at Stanford University, where he was a first-team Academic All-Pac 10 Conference selection as a sophomore in 2007. A graduate of nearby Washington Community High School, Escue transferred to Bradley last season and made an immediate impact by finishing first-team honorable mention Missouri Valley Conference Scholar-Athlete honors last spring, Escue maintained his perfect grade point average to earn placement on the Missouri Valley Conference Honor Roll.
Splitting his time between first base and left field, Escue already has matched his home run total with three more dingers this season and leads the team with 13 RBI's through the first 13 games. He opened the season with a career-best five runs batted in, helping the Braves to a 9-8 victory in 10 innings against Pittsburgh at the Service Academy Spring Classic in Millington, Tenn., and he has reached base safely via a hit or a walk in 11 of Bradley's first 13 games.
Escue is the only Valley player among the 30 candidates for the 2009 Lowe's Senior CLASS Award. The candidate pool will be narrowed to 10 finalists midway through the season and those 10 names will be placed on the official ballot, which will be distributed through a nationwide voting system to media, coaches and fans. The award winner will be announced and recognized at Johnny Rosenblatt Stadium in Omaha, Neb., during the 2009 College World Series.
