OVERLAND PARK, Kan. — Junior shortstop Cody Jefferis was one of 30 NCAA baseball student-athletes selected as a candidate for the 2022 Senior Class Award, it was announced on Tuesday morning.

To be eligible for the award, a student-athlete must be classified as an NCAA Division I senior or graduate student 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. 

Jefferis has demonstrated strong leadership for San Diego baseball in his four-year career with the Toreros, serving as the team's starting shortstop for the last two seasons while maintaining a 3.0 GPA as he works towards a degree in Communication Studies.

The Valencia, California native is a career .279 hitter (137-for-491) and has posted a .973 fielding percentage in 132 total games played.

Off the field, he has volunteered with Hope Sports to help build homes in Mexico for those in need, has made breakfast for the homeless on weekends with 'Pancake Peeps,' and has spent time over the summer mentoring the youth as he volunteered at local little leagues.

He is set to graduate this spring and after graduation, Jefferis hopes to pursue a career with the FBI or another government agency.

The 30 candidates will be narrowed to 10 finalists later in the 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 2022 College World Series® in June.
 
For more information on all of the candidates, visit SeniorCLASSAward.com.

2022 Senior CLASS Award Baseball Candidates
 
Easton Bertrand, Minnesota                         Kyle Muller, Rutgers
Chris Cannizzaro, Bucknell                          Jake Noviello, Fairfield
Evan Chenier, VCU                                       Sam Novitske, Oregon
Cam Chick, Nebraska                                   Caden O'Brien, North Carolina
Juan Colato, Grand Canyon                         Nick Parker, Coastal Carolina
Hunter Cooley, FAU                                      Austin Peterson, UConn
Connor Denning, Campbell                          Christian Policelli, Navy
Joshua Figueroa, UIC                                  RJ Schreck, Duke
Chris Gonzalez, Stetson                               Jack Smith, Washington State
Bryce Hellgeth, Dayton                                 Tanner Smith, Oregon
Cody Jefferis, San Diego                              Kolby Somers, Oregon
Dominic Keegan, Vanderbilt                         Tyler Thomas, Baylor
Ben Klutts, Arkansas State                           Mitchell Verburg, Oregon State
Jake Kuchmaner, East Carolina                   Alex Williams, Stanford
Julio Marcano, NJIT                                      Jake Wyandt, Auburn