Sam Bachman is in enemy territory, and he knows it. The freshman pitcher warms up with his team in preparation to take on Mid-American Conference rival Kent State University. The tension builds in the air as time ticks down until Bachman throws his first pitch. 
 
The young pitching ace knows the type of talent found on the KSU roster, but he is not phased by what appears on the lineup sheet. As Bachman steps on the mound at the bottom of the first inning, he closes his eyes for a brief moment and takes a deep breath. If there were ever a time for all the practice to pay off, it would be now. But the freshman is aware of the work he has put in. He's packed his bag to work today as he likes to put it. 
 
Bachman opens his eyes. He twirls the ball in his hands and winds up to throw his first pitch, immediately locking into the heat of the game. The rest is a blur to him. 
 
Now, after wrapping up his junior campaign at Miami and touted as a potential first-round pick in this year's Major League Baseball Draft, Bachman marks that outing versus Kent State as a turning point in his young baseball career.
 
Long before Bachman was touted as a top 15 prospect in the 2021 MLB Draft, he played in a tee-ball league at his local church in Fishers, Indiana. In addition to picking up his glove at age three, Bachman played basketball and football during his childhood. 
 
By the time Bachman was in sixth grade, however, the baseball diamond had become his go-to choice to spend his time outside the classroom. According to Bachman, the sport always came naturally to him and he felt a sense of confidence when he laced up his cleats to take the field. 
 
"I love that I'm able to take the game into my own hands, especially as a pitcher. If I want to win a game, I can go out there and do it," said Bachman. 
 
This high level of confidence is something that Bachman has continuously developed throughout his career and has helped him stay locked in on his goals. 
 
Once Bachman entered high school, a buzz had already been created around the young prospect's name. During his freshman season at Hamilton Southeastern High School, Bachman recounts various phone calls from colleges interested in his talents. However, no offers were officially given to him until his junior year of high school. 
 
Despite only receiving one scholarship offer going into his junior year, Bachman never put his head down. He kept stressing the type of mental toughness and resilience a ballplayer has to have to be successful at the sport. With this "by any means necessary" attitude, Bachman took matters into his own hands and began reaching out to different schools hoping to build some momentum going into his final year of high school. 
 
Fortunately, Miami University was one of the schools that the Fishers, Indiana, product contacted. Bachman had previously visited Oxford while playing for a travel baseball team and was immediately enthralled by the red brick buildings and the quality of the facilities. 
 
The academic prestige of Miami University also intrigued the young pitcher as he began to dig deeper into the place that he would soon call his home. Academics were always placed above sports as Bachman grew up, and he always found himself excelling in math and science. 
 
Fast forward to the end of his senior year of high school, Bachman is officially a RedHawk set to hit campus in Fall 2018 with plans to study microbiology. After watching his mother work in the healthcare industry for years, he knew that being in a position to help people was something that he wanted for himself, and this was the first step. 
 
As for the baseball side of things, Bachman felt the difference immediately after arriving in Oxford. How Miami baseball tailors its training and treatment to each player is one aspect that Bachman highlights. 
 
"No one guy is doing the same thing as another. It is all specific to the individual, and I think that sets us apart," Bachman explained. 
 
With all these tools at his disposal, Bachman made sure not to waste any of them. He recalled trying to soak up as much knowledge and feel for the game in his first year as he could. Additionally, the Miami pitcher noted that building and maintaining a routine played a significant role in his early success. 
 
Snapping back to reality, Bachman realizes what he has just done. As he walks off the field during the seventh inning against Kent State, he recounts everything that happened in the previous six. The young pitcher struck out a season-high 10 batters and allowed only one run during his time on the mound. 
 
The RedHawks went on to win the outing against the Golden Flashes by a score of 3-2, but Bachman left with much more than a mark in the win column. This is when the pitching ace saw his dreams of making it to the majors materialize. 
 
More buzz began to swirl around Bachman's name as other players and staff members started to push him harder toward a dream that could soon turn into reality. 
 
Many would be satisfied by just the thought of their name connected with the majors, but not Bachman. He realized how much more work needed to be done and continued pushing, even through obstacles that stretched far beyond the baseball diamond. 
Sam Bachman is in enemy territory, and he knows it. The freshman pitcher warms up with his team in preparation to take on Mid-American Conference rival Kent State University. The tension builds in the air as time ticks down until Bachman throws his first pitch. 
 
The young pitching ace knows the type of talent found on the KSU roster, but he is not phased by what appears on the lineup sheet. As Bachman steps on the mound at the bottom of the first inning, he closes his eyes for a brief moment and takes a deep breath. If there were ever a time for all the practice to pay off, it would be now. But the freshman is aware of the work he has put in. He's packed his bag to work today as he likes to put it. 
 
Bachman opens his eyes. He twirls the ball in his hands and winds up to throw his first pitch, immediately locking into the heat of the game. The rest is a blur to him. 
 
Now, after wrapping up his junior campaign at Miami and touted as a potential first-round pick in this year's Major League Baseball Draft, Bachman marks that outing versus Kent State as a turning point in his young baseball career.
 
Long before Bachman was touted as a top 15 prospect in the 2021 MLB Draft, he played in a tee-ball league at his local church in Fishers, Indiana. In addition to picking up his glove at age three, Bachman played basketball and football during his childhood. 
 
By the time Bachman was in sixth grade, however, the baseball diamond had become his go-to choice to spend his time outside the classroom. According to Bachman, the sport always came naturally to him and he felt a sense of confidence when he laced up his cleats to take the field. 
 
"I love that I'm able to take the game into my own hands, especially as a pitcher. If I want to win a game, I can go out there and do it," said Bachman. 
 
This high level of confidence is something that Bachman has continuously developed throughout his career and has helped him stay locked in on his goals. 
 
Once Bachman entered high school, a buzz had already been created around the young prospect's name. During his freshman season at Hamilton Southeastern High School, Bachman recounts various phone calls from colleges interested in his talents. However, no offers were officially given to him until his junior year of high school. 
 
Despite only receiving one scholarship offer going into his junior year, Bachman never put his head down. He kept stressing the type of mental toughness and resilience a ballplayer has to have to be successful at the sport. With this "by any means necessary" attitude, Bachman took matters into his own hands and began reaching out to different schools hoping to build some momentum going into his final year of high school. 
 
Fortunately, Miami University was one of the schools that the Fishers, Indiana, product contacted. Bachman had previously visited Oxford while playing for a travel baseball team and was immediately enthralled by the red brick buildings and the quality of the facilities. 
 
The academic prestige of Miami University also intrigued the young pitcher as he began to dig deeper into the place that he would soon call his home. Academics were always placed above sports as Bachman grew up, and he always found himself excelling in math and science. 
 
Fast forward to the end of his senior year of high school, Bachman is officially a RedHawk set to hit campus in Fall 2018 with plans to study microbiology. After watching his mother work in the healthcare industry for years, he knew that being in a position to help people was something that he wanted for himself, and this was the first step. 
 
As for the baseball side of things, Bachman felt the difference immediately after arriving in Oxford. How Miami baseball tailors its training and treatment to each player is one aspect that Bachman highlights. 
 
"No one guy is doing the same thing as another. It is all specific to the individual, and I think that sets us apart," Bachman explained. 
 
With all these tools at his disposal, Bachman made sure not to waste any of them. He recalled trying to soak up as much knowledge and feel for the game in his first year as he could. Additionally, the Miami pitcher noted that building and maintaining a routine played a significant role in his early success. 
 
Snapping back to reality, Bachman realizes what he has just done. As he walks off the field during the seventh inning against Kent State, he recounts everything that happened in the previous six. The young pitcher struck out a season-high 10 batters and allowed only one run during his time on the mound. 
 
The RedHawks went on to win the outing against the Golden Flashes by a score of 3-2, but Bachman left with much more than a mark in the win column. This is when the pitching ace saw his dreams of making it to the majors materialize. 
 
More buzz began to swirl around Bachman's name as other players and staff members started to push him harder toward a dream that could soon turn into reality. 
 
Many would be satisfied by just the thought of their name connected with the majors, but not Bachman. He realized how much more work needed to be done and continued pushing, even through obstacles that stretched far beyond the baseball diamond.