Pendley a Finalist for Senior CLASS Award

NORMAN – Oklahoma's Shelby Pendley has been chosen as one of 10 finalists for the 2015 Senior CLASS Award. 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.

The finalists were chosen by national media from the list of 30 candidates announced in March. Nationwide fan voting begins immediately to help select the winner. Fan votes will be combined with those of the media and Division I head coaches to determine the winners. The Senior CLASS Award recipient for softball will be announced during the 2015 NCAA Women's College World Series, which runs May 28 through June 3 in Oklahoma City.

Fans can begin voting now through May 11 on SeniorCLASSAward.com.

A two-time All-American, Pendley has appeared in 33 of 37 games this year with 28 starts at shortstop and five in the pitching circle. She is batting .402 on the season with a team-best 17 home runs. She is second on the team in runs (42), doubles (7), RBI (47) and slugging percentage (1.000).

With 77 career home runs, Pendley has climbed to No. 8 on the all-time NCAA Division I home run list. In addition, she is eighth all-time in career RBI with 251 and boasts the 13th-highest slugging percentage with a .828 mark.

Along with her teammates, Pendley spent a great deal of time in the Oklahoma City metro area in May of 2013 after the area was devastated by multiple tornadoes. She worked at various help stations unloading donations and packing boxes for those in need.

In the classroom, Pendley is progressing toward a degree in multidisciplinary studies with an emphasis in coaching and leadership.

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.