What You Need to Know:
* Senior catcher Joey Roach is one of 30 national candidates for the Senior CLASS Award, which recognizes student-athletes who excel on and off the diamond.
* Roach is a CoSIDA Academic All-American and the two-time, first-team All-Sun Belt catcher.
* He maintains a 3.89 GPA in actuarial science.
ATLANTA -- Georgia State baseball standout Joey Roach has added another honor to his growing list of accolades as the senior catcher was announced as one of 30 national candidates for 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. 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 native of Holly Springs, N.C., Roach is one of the nation's top catchers, currently hitting .446 with three home runs and 15 RBI. He is a two-time, first-team All-Sun Belt selection and was named last week to the Watch List for the Johnny Bench Award as the top Division I catcher after reaching semifinalist status for that prestigious award last year.
In last night's victory over Jackson State, he drove in the 100th run of his career, in which he has compiled a .317 batting average and 17 homers while catching more than 160 games for the Panthers.
Off the field, Roach was recognized as a CoSIDA Academic All-America in 2015. He maintains a 3.89 grade-point average while majoring in actuarial science and is active in community service.
Roach is the second Panther in three years to be a Senior CLASS Award candidate, following All-America outfielder Chase Raffield in 2014.
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 2016 College World Series® in June.
Roach and the Panthers will be in action today, hosting Savannah State at 5 p.m. at the GSU Baseball Complex.
