TEMPE, Ariz. – Arizona State University senior baseball student-athlete RJ Ybarra has been named a candidate for the 2016 Senior CLASS Award in collegiate baseball.
Ybarra is a candidate on the 30-person list, which recognizes student-athletes who excel both on and off the field, and have notable achievement in four areas of excellence – community, classroom, character and competition.
“RJ is a great presence in the dugout and in the clubhouse, and he’s an imposing figure at the plate and behind the dish.” Head Coach Tracy Smith says. “He’s everything you hope for in a Division I student-athlete: capable, dependable, hardworking, unselfish, and talented.”
Ybarra is a two-time Pac-12 All-American honorable mention, including in both 2014 and 2015. In addition, he was the team’s Casey Myers Academic Award winner in 2014. He is on track to graduate in May 2016 with a Bachelor’s degree in Interdisciplinary Studies with a focus on Communication and Sociology. He is a four-time Scholar Baller, which each semester honors student athletes who achieve over 3.0 GPA, and currently has a 2.64 GPA.
As a senior, Ybarra is one of the team’s leaders both on and off the field. He serves as a mentor for freshman student-athletes, and routinely takes time to help them with time management skills and adjusting to life as a college student-athlete. Over the past four-plus seasons, Ybarra has been involved in various community activities and is one of the first student-athletes to sign up for any community service initiative. He is part of the athletics department’s annual Fantasy Flight, where student-athletes provide underprivileged and/or sick children with a Christmas they’ll remember. In addition, he visits the Phoenix Children’s Hospital, volunteers at youth baseball camps, speaks to adolescents at Cesar Chavez High School, is a part of the September 11 Memorial at Tempe Town Lake, and helps with the local chapter of Special Olympics and Miracle League. Ybarra also participates in the annual Thanksgiving Food Drive and Race for the Cure.
A four-year letterwinner, RJ has appeared in 144 games, including 115 starts, throughout his ASU career. A career .288 hitter with 92 RBI, 65 runs and 130 hits, Ybarra earned the Louisville Slugger Freshman All-American honors from Collegiate Baseball in 2013. His career .454 slugging percentage ranks first on the team among returning players and he also owns a .362 on base percentage. He has 36 career multi-hit games and 22 career multi-RBI games. Ybarra has delivered five game-winning hits in the ninth inning or later in his career, including three in three consecutive Pac-12 series in 2014. As a sophomore, he led the team with 47 RBI, the third-highest mark in the Pac-12, en route to earning the program’s Offensive MVP honors.
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.
For more information, visit seniorCLASSaward.com.