Samson, Barnes Earn Individual Awards; 11 Scots on All-NCAC Team

Adam Samson

Matt Barnes

A big reason behind the success of the 2007 College of Wooster baseball team has been its pitching, and several members of the staff were honored Monday when the North Coast Athletic Conference awards were announced, highlighted by junior Adam Samson (Orrville, Ohio / Orrville) being named the league’s Pitcher of the Year and Matt Barnes (Pittsburgh, Pa. / Langley) taking Newcomer-of-the-Year honors.

Also earning an individual citation was Tim Pettorini, voted the NCAC’s top coach for an eighth time in his 26-year career, while joining Samson and Barnes on the All-NCAC First Team was fellow hurler Anthony Trapuzzano (Pittsburgh, Pa. / Canevin Catholic) as well as offensive standouts Pat Christensen (Cincinnati, Ohio / Sycamore), Oliver Enos (Charlottesville, Va. / Covenant School), Sheldon Steiner (Dalton, Ohio / Central Christian), and Shaun Swearingen (Hilliard, Ohio / Bishop Watterson).

Rounding out the Fighting Scots’ all-conference accolades were Mark Miller (Convoy, Ohio / Crestview), another member of the pitching staff, and Jank Sankal (Mentor, Ohio / Mentor) on the second team, and Brandon Boesiger (Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio / Cuyahoga Falls) and Dan Skulina (Strongsville, Ohio / Walsh Jesuit), both of whom received honorable mention.

Samson, who becomes Wooster’s seventh NCAC Pitcher of the Year, took over as the staff ace and is currently undefeated (10-0) in 11 starts and two other appearances. The southpaw has a conference-low 1.67 ERA, while also leading the NCAC in wins (10) and ranking second in opponents’ batting average (.200), third in innings pitched (70.0), and a tie for third in strikeouts (73). Samson threw the third shutout of his career April 29 against Marietta College, and on March 23, struck out 14, which tied for the third-most in school history, during a 7-2 win versus Allegheny College.

Barnes burst on to the scene and is now the fifth Scot to be NCAC Newcomer of the Year over a six-season stretch. The freshman right-hander holds an 8-1 record with a 2.32 ERA and is the league leader in strikeouts with 78, despite getting one less start than Samson and Trapuzzano. During 13 appearances (10 starts), he has pitched 62.0 innings, averaging 11.3 strikeouts per nine innings, compared to just 16 total walks. Overall, Barnes ranks third in the NCAC in ERA, tied for third in wins, sixth in innings pitched, and sixth in opponents’ batting average (.254), and his best effort to date was a three-hit, 6-0 shutout of Wabash College April 14.

Trapuzzano, now two-time all-conference, improved upon where he left off last spring when he was second-team All-NCAC. He is only behind Samson in the league in both wins with nine (9-1) and ERA at 2.30, and Barnes in strikeouts with 77 (9.3 per nine innings), and the hard-throwing right-hander ranks first in innings pitched (74.1). Trapuzzano has only walked 10 all season, while holding the opposition to a .204 batting average, third-lowest in the NCAC, and he tossed a one-hit shutout against Wabash (8-0) on April 14.

Christensen rejoins the All-NCAC First Team, bouncing back from an injury-riddled sophomore campaign and starting in right field for most of 2007. A recent stress fracture in his foot has relegated him to designated hitter duties, however, he’s only missed two games and been an offensive force throughout, batting .354 with 12 doubles, eight home runs, and 38 RBI. Christensen is among the top-10 in the conference in nine categories, including tied for fourth in homers, fifth in runs scored (43), tied for fifth in doubles, tied for sixth in RBI, fourth in walks (22), and ninth in slugging percentage (.582).

Enos, listed as the designated hitter on the All-NCAC First Team, has played catcher, left field, and right field, in addition to DH, after playing third base last year when he received honorable mention accolades. The sophomore will enter the NCAA Div. III Tournament as Wooster’s second-leading hitter at a .381 clip, which includes 10 doubles and a home run. Enos has scored 34 runs and driven in 32 others while also stealing eight bases in nine attempts.

Steiner, a left-handed batting, right-handed throwing first baseman, picks up his first all-conference honor with Wooster. A senior who played two seasons at Hesston (Kan.) College, Steiner has been the team’s top offensive weapon during 2007, currently leading the way in batting average (.383), home runs (10), and RBI (48). He’s atop the NCAC statistics in homers and RBI, in addition to ranking 10th in average, sixth in runs (42), tied for eighth in doubles (11), eighth in on-base percentage (.469), and third in slugging percentage (.671).

Swearingen makes the All-NCAC Team for a third consecutive season, including back-to-back on the first team. While his batting average dipped slightly this year (.329), Swearingen has still reached base consistently as he leads the league in runs scored (51), thanks in part to 21 walks and 13 hit by pitches. He’s also been a clutch hitter again, ranking tied for fourth in the NCAC in RBI with 40, a squad-high 21 coming with two outs. In addition, Swearingen has 12 doubles and four home runs. A defensive standout as well, the senior centerfielder has not committed an error in 66 chances, including three assists.

Miller, a freshman right-hander, has flourished in the closer’s role this season, recording a league-high six saves as well as a 3-2 record and 1.59 ERA. He’s already been called out of the bullpen 21 times, which leaves him one shy of the team record for appearances, and has totaled 39.2 innings of work, during which he’s struck out 39 and walked just 11. Opponents have hit just .148 against Miller, the best among the Scots’ regulars.

Sankal, a first-time all-conference honoree, has had a breakout junior season, his first year being a full-time starter. Primarily a left fielder, he hits for average and power while also possessing good speed, currently batting .349 with eight home runs, 32 RBI, and 13 stolen bases, which puts him tied for fourth in the NCAC in homers and tied for eighth in steals. Sankal’s also second in runs scored (49), tied for fifth in walks (21), and fifth in slugging percentage (.620).

Boesiger, like Swearingen, is now a three-time All-NCAC standout after previously garnering first-team (2005) and second-team recognition (2006). The senior catcher’s 2007 batting average (.320) is below his career (.367), but he still is third in the conference in on-base percentage (.496), thanks in part to 24 walks, which is tied for a league best, and 13 hit by pitches. Boesiger, who also has tallied 27 runs and 16 RBI, has been a defensive stalwart again, having throw out eight of 25 potential base stealers and picked off another three en route to a .982 fielding percentage.

Skulina, like Sankal, was given the opportunity to step into a full-time starting role for the first time this season and responded by winning the job at third base. He’s compiled a .346 bating average, highlighted by 15 doubles – the second-most in the NCAC. In addition, Skulina has tallied 31 runs, two home runs, and 26 RBI.

Wooster, the No. 1 ranked team in Div. III the last four coaches’ polls, is the top seed for this week’s NCAA Mideast Regional Tournament, which will take place at Mills Field in Strongsville, Ohio. The Scots are 40-5 overall, marking their first 40-win season since 1998, and finished runner-up in the NCAC, losing a three-game series to Ohio Wesleyan University in the finals of the conference tourney.