AUSTIN, Texas – The St. Edward’s Hilltoppers’ Stephen Johnson and Adam Shank were nominated to the 2012 Tino Martinez Award Watch List this week.

The Tino Martinez Award is given to the top overall NCAA DII National Player of the Year. Over 130 student-athletes were nominated to the initial watch list. This list will be updated with a mid-season release mid April. Semi-finalists are scheduled to be announced on May 7th with the finalist to be named on May 21st.

After the finalist are named, fans will be once again be invited to vote online at tinoaward.com to help determine the winner. The winner will be announced after the conclusion of the DII Baseball Championship held in Cary, N.C. from May 26th to June 2nd.

As a member of NCAA Division II and the Heartland Conference, St. Edward’s, has captured 47 conference titles, advanced to the NCAA tournament 50 times and has produced 31 All-Americans and 32 Academic All-Americans since 1999.

Founded by the Congregation of Holy Cross, St. Edward's University is named among the top five "Up-and-Coming Universities" in the Western Region by its academic peers in a 2011 U.S. News & World Report survey. For eight consecutive years St. Edward's has been recognized as one of "America's Best Colleges" by U.S. News & World Report. St. Edward’s has also been named one of “America’s Best Colleges” by Forbes and the Center for College Affordability.

St. Edward's is a private, Catholic, liberal arts university of more than 5,400 students located in Austin, Texas. For more information on St. Edward’s University, visit http://www.stedwards.edu/athletics.