The College of Wooster baseball program has been renowned for its offensive exploits throughout the 27 years under head coach Tim Pettorini, but lately, the pitching staff has been stealing some headlines, and maybe none more so than Adam Samson as the southpaw became the Fighting Scots' first hurler to be a first-team All-American. The 12 previous so honored were all position players.

When he decided to follow in the footsteps of older brother, Walt, and join the Wooster program, Samson never had visions of becoming one of the best in Scot history, especially after only being lightly recruited out of nearby Orrville High School. "I expected to pitch, but to pitch as much as I did … I didn't expect to do that," he explained.

Pettorini wasn't sure what type of player he had on his hands either. "He always had a pretty good clue where the ball was going, (but) he didn't throw particularly hard. His breaking ball was just okay. At the end of the fall (of his freshman season), we thought he'll be okay, but not any big deal," said the veteran coach with nearly 900 wins under his belt.

"To Adam's credit, he really went to work in the weight room, got stronger, got better," continued Pettorini. "Come the spring time, he jumped out at us, and we said we've really got something here."

Samson was thrown into the fire, starting eight games, four of which came during the postseason, including the 3rd-place game at the NCAA Div. III Baseball Championship. He only allowed two earned runs over seven innings before handing the ball over to Walt, a two-time all-conference pitcher himself. Adam ultimately was the tough-luck loser, as a tired Scot offense only managed one run, however, he still rates it at his best memory in a Black and Old Gold uniform.

"The obvious would be chosen as a first-team All-American, but pitching in that World Series game … it's just unbelievable to pitch in that game. I would have taken going back to the College World Series over being named a first-team All-American any day of the week."

While Wooster did not make it back there, it was no fault of Samson's. He continued to develop into one of Div. III's top pitchers. As a sophomore, he went 8-3 with a 3.07 ERA and 62 strikeouts during 70.1 innings, earning first-team all-conference and second-team all-region accolades.

Then, with the graduation of Jon Oliver, Samson made a smooth transition as the ace of the staff. In fact, he put together one of the best seasons in school history as a junior, winning 11 of his 12 starts while not factoring in the other for a perfect 11-0 record. Samson's ERA was a miniscule 1.61 and he averaged nearly a strikeout per inning, setting down 76 in 78.1 innings pitched.

Those numbers resulted in a lot of hardware – North Coast Athletic Conference and American Baseball Coaches Association Mideast Region Pitcher-of-the-Year trophies, and the aforementioned spot on the ABCA's All-America First Team.

While the final statistics from this past spring – 7-3 record, 2.79 ERA, and 70 strikeouts in 77.1 innings – don't indicate he was as dominant, Pettorini would disagree.

"I don't think it was him at all," Pettroni remarked. "We didn't score as many runs. The supporting cast plays a big part in that (pitcher's statistics), and it was hard for him to be as effective as great as he was the previous season. But, I thought he pitched every bit as well, if not better."

The conference coaches realized that was the case, too, naming Samson NCAC Pitcher of the Year again as he joined Oliver (2005-06), Matt Englander (2001-02), and Allegheny College's Jeff Mountain (1999-00) as the only two-time winners of that award. Samson was also second-team all-region.

Of all the gems he threw, the defining moments of Samson's career may have come at this season's NCAA Mideast Regional. He did everything in his power to lead the Scots to another berth in the eight-team national field, starting the opener and yielding just two earned runs over 8.2 innings of a 4-3 loss to upstart Adrian College. Samson threw 122 pitches that game, but was ready to go just 48 hours later.

Not only was he ready, he had another 136 pitches in him, tossing an epic 0-0 game into the bottom of the ninth inning. Samson again was unlucky, as Heidelberg College managed to scratch out a run without hitting a ball out of the infield (infield single, one-out intentional walk, hit by pitch, infield single) for a 1-0 win.

Though typically hard on himself, Samson said, "I'm still not going to hold my head down on that one," while Pettorini ranked it among the best he's ever seen from a Wooster pitcher.

"It was right up there. We ask a lot of those guys. If they're going to be the top pitcher, it's more than just win a few ball games. It's outwork everybody, be a leader, be a guy we can turn to. (Adam) really stepped to the front. He knew especially when we lost the first ball game. He stepped it up in between that time, so he was ready to go. I give him a lot of credit."

Samson's career stat line reads 28-7 with a 2.69 ERA, 237 strikeouts, and 264.2 innings pitched, leaving him among the all-time Scot leaders in each of those categories, but the most impressive may be that his ERA rose just slightly to 2.79 when facing high-caliber competition in NCAA Tournament games (42.0 innings pitched).

"It's always nice when you trot a guy like that out there. I couldn't (be) happier that he's been in our uniform the last four years," summed up Pettorini, who also labeled him "probably the best lefty we've ever had."

Samson received interest from Major League Baseball scouts throughout his time at Wooster and was extended an offer to play in the Independent League, but declined it in hopes of beginning a career with a federal agency. Ultimately, he wants to land a job with the FBI.