IRVING, Texas - Baylor softball's Kaitlyn Thumann and football's Troy Baker were named recipients of the Big 12's Dr. Prentice Gautt Postgraduate Scholarship, the league announced Tuesday. Thumann and Baker are two of 20 recipients amongst the league as each school had two honorees.
Thumann excelled both athletically and academically for Baylor in all four seasons with the Bears softball team. She was a seven-time Big 12 Commissioner's Honor Roll selection, earned First-Team Academic All-Big 12 honors all three seasons eligible and was named to Baylor's Dean's List twice.
The Katy, Texas, native was the first ever Baylor student-athlete to be named Homecoming Queen this fall, and she was a Top 10 finalist for the 2015 Senior CLASS Award for softball, for which she was named First-Team All-American by the Premier Sports Management Group.
Thumann and the Bears finished her senior season as the NCAA Lafayette Regional runner up in Baylor's 10th appearance in the NCAA Tournament in May. She finished her Baylor career with the third-best batting average in school history (.369), was second all-time in runs scored (157), second in doubles (44) and fourth in on-base percentage (.464).
The health science studies major earned NFCA All-Region honors in her junior and senior seasons along with All-Big 12 honors in each of her last two years. Thumann was the eighth player in program history to be drafted professionally when the Dallas Charge selected her in the sixth round of the NFP College Draft in April. She helped Baylor to its third Women's College World Series appearance as a junior in 2014.
Baker was on the 2015 Collegiate Gridiron Club of Dallas Scholar-Athletes list and NFF Hampshire Honor Society. He was a 10-time selection to the Big 12 Commissioner's Honor Roll and a three-time member of the Academic All-Big 12 first team. Baker graduated in December 2012 with a degree in finance. He is currently working on an MBA. The Waco, Texas, product concluded his Baylor career with 22 starts and 33 games played on the offensive line.
The scholarships are named in honor of the late Dr. Prentice Gautt, a former Big 12 Conference staff member and student services' pioneer who passed away in March 2005. The list of all-time recipients has grown to 361 since the inception of the league in 1996-97. Starting in 2002-03, additional funding increased scholarship award winners to two per member institution.
To date the Big 12 has provided over $2.5 million for postgraduate education. The individual grants began at $2,500 in 1996-97, were raised to $5,000 in 1999 and increased to $6,900 for 2004-05. The awards climbed to $7,500 in 2006-07, moved to $9,000 in 2011-12 and are now at $10,000 since 2013-14.
Criteria for the awards includes a cumulative grade point average of 3.200 on a 4.000 scale, participation in at least two years of intercollegiate athletics at the nominee's respective institution and completion of athletics' eligibility. The student-athletes also must graduate from their respective member institutions within 15 months of their selection for a postgraduate scholarship and are expected to enroll in graduate/professional schools within two years of graduation. Three faculty representatives, one senior woman administrator and one director of athletics form the selection panel for the awards.
Previous Baylor Dr. Prentice Gautt Postgraduate Scholarship Winners
2014-15 – Troy Baker (FB), Kaitlyn Thumann (SB)
2013-14 - Nate Goodwin (BB), Kat Ludlow (SOC)
2012-13 - Nick Florence (FB), Kathy Shelton (SB)
2011-12 - Sydney Wilson (SB), Jon Ringenberg (BB)
2010-11 - Tiffany Wesley (SB), Logan Roberts (T&F/CC)
2009-10 - Gianna Quintana (SOC), Dominik Mueller (MTennis)
2008-09 - Lyndsy Bedell (CC/T&F), Zach Dillon (BB)
2007-08 - Kristen Schramek (VB), Tim Jackson (BB)
2006-07 - Chelsi Lake (SB), Irwin Price (CC)
2005-06 - Phil Tran (FB), Sara Hausner (SB)
2004-05 - Stephen Sepulveda (FB), Lori Viggiano (SOC)
2003-04 - John Martin (FB), Megan McCoin (CC/T&F)
2002-03 - Ross Bennett (BB), Whitney Barrett (SOC)
2001-02 - Tim Hartson (BB), Lanie Millar (CC/T&F)
2000-01 - Kerry O'Bric (T&F), Mark Williams (MTennis)
1997-98 - Douglas Maziur (T&F)
