VOTE FOR GEORGIA TECH'S BRANDON THOMAS!

It isn’t often that a young man postpones a chance to pursue his boyhood dreams in favor of education, but that is exactly what Atlanta native and Pace Academy alumnus, Brandon Thomas, has done…and he’s done it twice.

While Brandon’s decision to postpone a professional baseball career is a rare one these days, it has not gone unnoticed. Brandon was recently named one of 10 baseball finalists for the 2013 Senior CLASS Award®, which is presented annually to an NCAA Division I senior with notable achievements in four areas of excellence - community, classroom, character and competition.

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.

Brandon, who was a peer leader and a baseball standout for the Knights, was chosen out of high school in the 37th round by the Colorado Rockies in 2009 Major League Draft. Brandon elected to attend Georgia Tech instead, where he has been a standout in the classroom and on and off the field since his freshman year.

Brandon has earned a 3.50 cumulative GPA in business administration from Tech's prestigious Ernest Scheller, Jr. College of Business. He was presented with Tech’s Faculty Honors in the fall of 2009, has made the Dean’s List in six different semesters, and was named to ACC Academic Honor Roll in 2010, 2011, 2012.

On the field Thomas was an Academic All Atlantic Conference pick in 2011, and named a Pre-Season All American by Baseball America heading into the 2012 and 2013 seasons. He had a banner performance in 2012, hitting a team-leading .360 with 15 doubles, five triples, five home runs, and 44 RBI. The speedster drew 37 walks, 13 hit by pitches and swiped 12 bases in 17 attempts and his .481 on-base percentage was among the highest in the Atlantic Coast Conference. He was named a 2012 Capital One Academic All-American, First Team All ACC, 2012 ACC Baseball All Tournament Team, 2012 Gainesville Regional All Tournament Team, and Major League Baseball’s Most Athletic Collegiate Prospect entering the 2012 draft.

Brandon has been equally active as a community servant, helping give back to Atlanta in many ways, including volunteering at the Ronald McDonald House and Matt Joyce Baseball Camps, and as a mentor for LEAD (the Atlanta program designed to expand baseball in the inner city). Brandon has served as a confirmation sponsor at Holy Spirit church and on campus, he has been involved with Team Buzz.

Draft eligible upon completion of his junior year, Brandon became the fourth pick by the Pittsburgh Pirates in the 2012 MLB Draft last summer. After thoughtful consideration, Brandon chose once again to return to college, a decision driven by academic goals and dreams of one more run at Omaha with his fellow Yellow Jacket teammates. In spite of being sidelined with mononucleosis for a chunk of the 2013 season, Brandon bumped his average up to .395 (second in the ACC to date) and leads the Yellow Jackets offense in both doubles (13) and RBI (21). 

"Brandon is a model student-athlete at Georgia Tech and I couldn't be more proud of what he's accomplished here both on and off the field," said head coach Danny Hall. "He is more than deserving to be among the finalists for this award, and be considered one of the top senior student-athletes in the nation."

The award winner, who will be announced during the 2013 NCAA College World Series® in Omaha this June, is determined by a combination of Division I college coach votes, media votes, and nationwide fan votes. Fan voting is well underway and we encourage to vote for Brandon on the Senior CLASS Award website or on the Senior CLASS Award Facebook fan page through June 10 (see below for detailed instructions).

Please help us help Brandon win! There is no cost, no obligation, no spam…no strings attached. All you need to do is vote.  And, you can vote every day. This is a great way to recognize one of Pace Academy’s true examples of leadership on and off the field.

HERE'S HOW YOU CAN SUPPORT PACE BASEBALL ALUMNUS, BRANDON THOMAS:

• Click on the following link or paste it in your browser:

http://www.seniorclassaward.com/news/view/baseball_finalists_announced_for_the_2013_senior_class_award/

• Click on Brandon Thomas
• Click on the Vote Now button under Brandon’s picture
• Vote!

SHOW YOUR SUPPORT BY VOTING DAILY FROM MULTIPLE DEVICES AND BROWSERS, AND PASS THIS ON TO FAMILY AND FRIENDS!! WE NEED YOUR HELP!!