Five Wooster Players Named to All-Mideast Region Team

Adam Samson

Sheldon Steiner

Five College of Wooster players were placed on the All-Mideast Region Team, highlighted by first-team selections Adam Samson (Orrville, Ohio / Orrville), Sheldon Steiner (Dalton, Ohio / Central Christian), and Anthony Trapuzzano (Pittsburgh, Pa. / Canevin Catholic), it was announced Wednesday by the American Baseball Coaches’ Association. Also receiving recognition were Matt Barnes (Pittsburgh, Pa. / Langley) and Oliver Enos (Charlottesville, Va. / The Covenant School) on the second-and third-team, respectively.

Samson, who was second-team all-region last spring, recently finished 2007 with a perfect 11-0 record in 12 starts and 14 overall appearances. During 78.1 innings pitched, the junior southpaw compiled a 1.61 ERA, marking the sixth-lowest in school history, as well as 76 strikeouts. Samson held the opposition to a .190 batting average and tossed three complete games, highlighted by a three-hit shutout on April 29 of eventual regional champ Marietta College. Also of note, he had 14 strikeouts versus Allegheny College (March 23), which tied for the third-most in a single-game by a Wooster pitcher, and was the winning pitcher of the Fighting Scots’ opener at last week’s NCAA Div. III Regional Tournament, giving up just one run on three hits over 8.1 innings against the College of Mount St. Joseph.

Steiner, a senior, was consistently Wooster’s top offensive threat during the season. In fact, the left-handed batting, right-handed throwing first baseman became the first to win the team’s triple crown since Trevor Urban in 1998, as Steiner ended up with a .384 batting average, 10 home runs, and 49 RBI. He also accounted for 42 runs scored, 11 doubles, 16 walks, and 12 hit by pitches, while accumulating a .646 slugging percentage, .472 on-base percentage, and .991 fielding percentage. During the Scots’ nine-game postseason run, Steiner hit .385 (15-for-39) with four runs, three two-baggers, and four RBI.

Anthony Trapuzzano

Trapuzzano, Wooster’s hard-throwing No. 2 hurler, went 9-2 with a 2.32 ERA and 93 strikeouts over 85.1 innings pitched, leading the staff in the latter two categories. In fact, setting down 93 batters on strikes marked the fifth-highest total in school history, and maybe even more impressive, the sophomore right-hander issued only 12 walks for an average of 1.27 per nine innings, the third-lowest mark ever by a Scot pitcher for a season (minimum 40 innings). Trapuzzano, who limited opponents to a .208 batting average, was a starter during his first 12 appearances and then came in as a reliever in Wooster’s second elimination game at the NCAA regionals, striking out seven of the 11 Marietta College hitters he faced during three innings of one-hit scoreless ball. Trapuzzano’s top start of the year was a one-hit shutout of Wabash College April 14, when he struck out 10 without a walk.

Barnes earned the Scots’ No. 3 spot in the rotation as a freshman right-hander and thrived, going 9-2 with a 2.49 ERA and 86 strikeouts in 72.1 innings pitched. His 10.7 strikeouts per nine innings was a team high, and he walked just 20 on the year (2.49 per nine innings). Just like Samson and Trapuzzano, Barnes, who posted a .265 opponents’ batting average, started 12 times, including twice on the same day during the NCAA Regional Tournament (May 18). After helping Wooster stave off elimination with a 3-2 win versus Otterbein College, in which he gave up just one earned run (two total) on seven hits and struck out six over the first seven innings, he again took the ball versus Marietta and performed admirably, yielding three earned runs (four total) on six hits before exiting during the fourth down just 3-0.

Enos, a sophomore, exhibited his versatility again this season, playing catcher, left field, and right field, in addition to designated hitter, the position he was listed at on the All-Mideast Region Team. He was Wooster’s second-leading hitter with a .360 average, including 11 doubles, one triple, and one homer, and reached 10 other times via hit by pitches, part of a .419 on-base percentage. Also noteworthy, Enos scored 35 runs and drove in 34 others, and his best game was a 3-for-4, 4-RBI effort at Hiram College April 21, when he stroked two doubles and a home run.

The Scots’ season came to a close last week with a 42-7 record, marking their first 40-win campaign since 1998.