Samson Becomes Scots' First First-Team All-American Pitcher

Adam Samson (Orrville, Ohio / Orrville), a junior left-handed pitcher for The College of Wooster, was named to the American Baseball Coaches’ Association NCAA Div. III All-America First Team, announced the coaches’ organization in conjunction with this weekend’s (May 25-29) Div. III Baseball Championship at Grand Chute, Wis. Samson, the 23rd All-American in team history, becomes the first Wooster pitcher to earn first-team All-American honors.

In addition to being one of 15 players (four pitchers) on the 2007 ABCA All-America First Team, Samson earlier received second-team All-American recognition from D3baseball.com as well as first-team All-Mideast Region and North Coast Athletic Conference Pitcher-of-the-Year honors this spring. As the ace of the Fighting Scots’ staff, he won 11 of 12 starts (11-0) while also pitching a single inning during two relief appearances, and accumulated a 1.61 ERA and 76 strikeouts during 78.1 innings overall. In the latest NCAA Div. III statistics, Samson ranks fifth in wins, 13th in ERA, 30th in strikeouts, and 75th in strikeouts per nine innings (8.73).

Among Samson’s 2007 season highlights were a one-hit, 11-strikeout performance during six scoreless innings versus eventual North Coast Athletic Conference champ Ohio Wesleyan University on March 16; 14 strikeouts, which tied for the third-most in school history, versus rival Allegheny College March 23; back-to-back outings in which he yielded one hit over five innings against Oberlin College and Case Western Reserve University April 6 and April 12, respectively; a 3-2 victory at Kent State University, currently in the NCAA Div. I Tournament, on April 18; seven shutout innings against perennial Div. III power Marietta College April 29; and postseason wins over Denison University and Ohio Wesleyan (in the NCAC Tournament) as well as the College of Mount St. Joseph (in the NCAA Div. III Tournament).

For his career, Samson is now 21-4 with a 2.64 ERA and 167 strikeouts over 187.1 inning pitched. He’s appeared in 44 games, starting 31, and is on pace to rank among the top-five Wooster pitchers in several categories, including appearances, starts, wins, and strikeouts.

Samson helped lead Wooster to a 42-7 record this season, marking the program’s first 40-win season since 1998. The Scots won the NCAC East Division with a perfect 15-0 record, then finished runner-up in the league tourney, and were the No. 1 seed for an NCAA Regional Tournament at Strongsville, Ohio, where they went 2-2.