OXFORD, Ohio – The 2021 RedHawks are chock-full with talent, headlined by ace RHP Sam Bachman. The junior flame-thrower continues to rake in pre-season awards. Bachman, a Fishers, Indiana native, was recently named the 29th overall 2021 draft prospect by MLB Pipeline, the 20th ranked college prospect by Perfect Game, and the 63rd ranked college prospect by D1Baseball.com.
Bachman has struck out 106 batters in 99.1 collegiate innings, allowing a paltry .237 opponent batting average and 3.81 ERA.
Bachman had a strong freshman year in 2019, starting 14 games as the Friday starter with a 7-1 record and 75.2 innings pitched. For his terrific season, Bachman received Collegiate Baseball Freshmen All-American and First-Team All-MAC honors and was named MAC Freshman Pitcher of the Year.
In the shortened 2020 spring, Bachman led the RedHawks in innings pitched (23.2) and strikeouts (31). He showed his brilliance in multiple 2020 outings, striking out 12 against Purdue Fort Wayne (2/21) and allowing only one unearned run with 12 strikeouts in the RedHawks win over Milwaukee (3/7).
Bachman's trajectory on the national scene continues to climb. After working at 91-94 mph for much of his first two college seasons, Bachman sat in the mid-90s during the Grand Park all-star game and hit 100 mph this fall with his fastball, sitting mostly at 95-97.
Head Coach Danny Hayden praises Sam's work rate.
"Sam is such a special guy. He was blessed with tremendous talent but what makes him special is his work ethic. Plenty of guys with Sam's ability are playing college baseball right now, and they are not receiving the kind of recognition Sam is. That is because Sam has continued to work every day. There has not been a time where he has shown up at the park, acting as he has arrived. Instead, every day he shows up ready and willing to work and compete and develop."
Hayden believes the recognition will only fuel Sam's competitiveness more.
"With all this recognition, I promise you it will only do one thing for Sam; it will inspire his next workout to be his best workout. That is how Sam is. As a coach, it is cool when your best players are your hardest workers. We've got a bunch of really hard workers, and Sam is one of the guys that set that tone for us."
Bachman's fastball is known for its remarkable movement as much as high-end velocity. His slider also gained more power during the offseason, operating in the mid and upper-80's, and is already graded as an above-average professional pitch. The MLB Pipeline scouting report mentions Bachman's fastball and slider as his best pitches, though his change-up has become a consistent swing and miss offering. According to the coaching staff, Bachman also has continued to refine his aggressiveness and ability to manage an opponent's running game.
Pitching Coach Matt Passauer speaks highly of Bachman's ability to continue developing.
"Sam continues to fine-tune his arsenal each year. Early on, it was mostly about controlling his pitches and getting his stuff into the zone consistently. Sam has since gained a feel for both sides of the plate with the fastball along with control of a sharpened-up slider and change-up. He has done a tremendous job adding to the ways he can attack a batter and a lineup."
Bachman will next attack hitters for the RedHawks when they open the season on February 19th.
The entire 2021 MLB Pipeline prospect list can be accessed here.
