CLEVELAND, Miss. - Delta State University first baseman Zack Shannon has been named a finalist for the 2017 D2 Baseball News Tino Martinez Award. The award, which is named after former University of Tampa Spartan standout Tino Martinez, is given to the most outstanding NCAA Division II baseball player. 

Shannon, a Cincinnati, Ohio native, is among the 12 student athletes announced as finalists for the annual award. He currently ranks second in school history in RBI's with 88, ranks fourth in school history in home runs in a single season (19) and ranks fifth in hits (92) and toal bases (162). 

Shannon is currently fourth in the nation in batting average (.442) and leads the country in runs driven in (88) and runs driven in per game (1.63). He is also sixth in total bases (162) and eighth in slugging percentage (.779). During the conference slate for the Statesmen, Shannon paced the Gulf South Conference in batting average, RBI's, RBI's per game, hits, home runs, total bases, slugging percentage and on base percentage.

He earned Gulf South Conference Player of the Year honors, while also being recognized by the NCBWA and the D2CCA South Region Player of the Year. He was a GSC First Team All-Conference selection, while also being named to the NCBWA and D2CCA All-South Region First Teams. Shannon was named a finalist for the C-Spire Ferriss Trophy, was named to the NCAA South Region All-Tournament Team and was named to the GSC All-Tournament team as well (Most Outstanding Player).

ABOUT TINO MARTINEZ
The Tino Martinez Award is named after the former University of Tampa Spartan, United States Olympian, first round draft pick and Major League Baseball All-Star Tino Matinez. Martinez was a three-time All-American and still holds a number of UT records including career home runs (54), career slugging percentage (.736), career on base percentage (.494), single season batting average (.452) and single season slugging percentage (.957).

While he wore a Spartan uniform Tampa advanced to their first NCAA Division II National Championships (1986 and '87) and won their first of twelve SSC Championships ('87). Martinez was elected to the College Baseball Hall of Fame in 2013. Current LSU head coach Paul Mainieri has been quoted as stating Martinez was, "the best player I've ever coached against".

2017 Tino Martinez Award Finalists
Nick Beinlich, Belmont Abbey
Brandon Benson, Georgia College
Justin Childers, Ohio Dominican
Ryan Colombo, Drury
Tyler Curtis, Lynn
Connor Hoover, North Georgia
Bligh Madris, Colorado Mesa
Pablo O'Connor, Azusa Pacific
J.D. Osborne, Tampa
Trevor Rucker, Southern Arkansas
Zack Shannon, Delta State
David Vinsky, Northwood

Previous Tino Martinez Award Winners
2016 - Alex Wojciechowski, Minnesota Duluth
2015 - Nick Sell, Seton Hill
2014 - Austin Kaiser, Colorado Mesa
2013 – Harmen Sidhu, Sonoma State
2012 - Nathan Minnich, Shepherd
2011 - Chase Larsson, Cameron 
2010 - Bryan Fogle, Erskine

For more on the Tino Martinez Award, click HERE.