OMAHA - Rhode Island's Tim Caputo has been identified as one of 18 national finalists for the TD Ameritrade College Home Run Derby Fans' Choice Award, which recognizes college baseball players for their inspiring accomplishments on and off the baseball field. Finalists demonstrate leadership and commitment in all aspects of life, stay active in their community, are dedicated in the classroom and inspire the will to win among those around them.

The TD Ameritrade Fans' Choice Award is the only college baseball award determined solely by fans. 

There are three rounds of voting: Round One opens today and ends June 8, when the top 12 vote getters move on to Round Two. The field will then be reduced to the top four vote getters on June 15. Round Three voting will end and TD Ameritrade will officially announce the winner June 22. The winner also will be honored at the TD Ameritrade College Home Run Derby in Omaha, Neb., on July 2.

TO VOTE: 

1. Visit fanschoiceaward.com.
2. Scroll down and select Tim Caputo's profile, click VOTE.
3. You will be asked to log in with your Facebook or Twitter account, or you may register with your e-mail address.
4. Once logged in, select VOTE on Caputo's profile.

Note: Fans may vote once per day with each unique email address, Facebook account and Twitter account. So, if you have multiple Facebook/Twitter/e-mail accounts -- vote from all of them, every day!

About Tim Caputo

COMMITMENT TO LEADERSHIP

• A true leader by example, Caputo has been a two-year team captain at Rhode Island, with his work ethic setting the standard for the Rams, both on an off the field.
• Shortly after his freshman season began, Caputo took over as Rhode Island's starting shortstop when then-senior captain Mike Le Bel suffered a season-ending injury just five games in to the 2012 campaign. As an all-conference performer, Le Bel left big shoes to fill, but Caputo rose to the occasion and put together a freshman season that landed him three Atlantic 10 Rookie of the Week awards as well as a spot on the league's All-Rookie squad. He was URI's only freshman starter that season. 
• The following year as a sophomore, he helped lead URI to a share of the A-10 regular season title and battled through injury to appear in 43 games as a junior.
• Most recently, he helped guide Rhode Island to a second-place finish in the Atlantic 10 - as well as an appearance in the conference final - after Rhody was picked to finish 11th of 13 in the preseason coaches poll. 
• After taking over as Rhody's starting shortstop his freshman year, he recorded 118 consecutive starts before missing seven games with an injury early last season. His eventual return to the field came in the form of a ninth-inning, pinch-hit at-bat where he hit a game-winning sacrifice fly to lead URI to a victory over Marshall. That is the only appearance over the course of his career in which he did not start.
• He finished his career as Rhode Island's all-time leader in both assists (610) and sacrifices (43).

COMMITMENT TO COMMUNITY

• Despite his rigorous schedule of playing baseball year round and maintaining a Dean's List GPA, Caputo has gained significant experience in his field of study through volunteer work. 
• At home on Long Island, he has spent time at North Shore LIJ Hospital as both a volunteer aide and a shadow for various Physical Therapists and Physician Assistants. 
• While playing summer ball for the Bourne Braves of the Cape Cod Baseball League in 2013, he was a Physical Therapy Aide at Beacon Physical Therapy. 
• He spent the following summer playing for the Ocean State Waves (NECBL) and logged over 100 hours of volunteer work at nearby Olympic Physical Therapy, where he continued work as a Physical Therapy Aide throughout his senior year at URI.
• Caputo also has been involved with the American Cancer Society's Relay for life since 2008 and has helped organize URI Baseball's Galilee 5K, which serves to raise funds for the Autism Project of Rhode Island. Through this event, as well as URI's Autism Awareness fundraiser games, the Rhode Island baseball program has raised more than $10,000 for the cause. 
• On campus, Caputo has served as a peer tutor for academics and has coached at numerous youth baseball camps and clinics.

COMMITMENT TO CLASSROOM

• A Kinesiology major, Caputo is a six-time Dean's List honoree and three-time member of the Atlantic 10 Commissioner's Honor Roll.
• He boasts an overall GPA of 3.53 and is a 3.80 student within his major. 
• He is a recipient of URI's Scholar-Athlete Award as well as a two-time member of the Atlantic 10 All-Academic Team (2014, 2015). 
• He also represented all of Rhode Island's student-athletes as an honorary speaker at URI's annual Dean's List reception and, most recently, received the 2015 Elizabeth Holmes award at URI's annual Senior Banquet. The award recognizes the most outstanding male student-athlete who has combined exceptional scholastic achievement with outstanding athletic ability. 
• After his playing career, Caputo plans to attend grad school and eventually pursue a career as a physical therapist.