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St. Louis Post-Dispatch

Lee Enterprises

Monday, March 10, 2008 11:06 PM CDT
Hastings is a semifinalist for national award

By JG/T-C Staff
sports@jg-tc.com

CHAMPAIGN -- Mattoon’s Ryan Hastings, an Illinois baseball senior, on Monday was named one of 30 semifinalists for the Lowe’s Senior CLASS Award.

The award is given to the most outstanding senior student-athlete in NCAA Division I baseball. Awarded annually in eight Division I sports, the award focuses on the criteria of classroom, character, community and competition. Hastings is one of three Big Ten student-athletes on the list along with Penn State’s Brian Ernst and Michigan’s Leif Mahler.

He was named Academic All-District by CoSIDA/ESPN the Magazine in 2007 after being named Academic All-Big Ten in both 2006 and 2007. Hastings finished his bachelor’s degree in recreation, sport and tourism in May 2007 with a 3.46 GPA and currently is enrolled in the sport management master’s program with plans to graduate in the summer of 2008. He received the George Huff Award in 2006, given to student-athletes who earn a varsity letter and maintain at least a 3.0 GPA in consecutive semesters. Hastings also completed a semester-long internship with the Champaign County Sports Commission to gain experience and fulfill a degree requirement.

He also has fought through adversity in his career, taking a medical redshirt during the Illini’s 2005 Big Ten championship run because of a wrist injury. Hastings then battled back from it to post consecutive solid seasons both offensively and defensively for Illinois, becoming one of the team’s leaders in his final three years.

In addition, Hastings has been active in his community, playing host to children from the Challenger Baseball League during their visits to Illini baseball games and also working with the Big Brothers Big Sisters Angel Tree Project. He has participated in multiple Reading Nights at Robeson Elementary School in Champaign and at the “Special Spectators” Tailgate before Illini football games for children from the pediatric oncology unit at Carle Foundation Hospital.

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