Baseball is a spring sport in which some days are sunshine filled but by the late innings storm clouds can arise creating an opportunity for Seth Sam to do what he enjoys with baseball in hand.
“I always have loved storms from when I was little to even now and I research on my own storms and how they form,” said the senior pitcher for the McAlester Buffaloes baseball team who plans to pursue a degree and career in meteorology. When opposing teams begin to create a stormy challenge, the hard throwing right-hander knows how to forecast a successful outcome and victory for the Buffaloes.
“When the game is on the line I really stay true to my fastball. I have great location with it and I can put it almost anywhere I want,” said Sam. “My thought process on the mound isn’t complicated. I just have to trust my guys behind me and always think “next pitch”. With this attitude you will always be looking ahead and focusing on the next pitch and not dwelling on the past.”
Confidence and velocity empowered Sam to throw a no-hitter in McAlester’s district victory against Midwest City. It was the same approach that helped Sam deliver in the clutch with the pitching victory in last spring’s regional tournament championship that sent the Buffaloes to the Class 5A state baseball tournament, a destination that Sam and his teammates hope to achieve this year.
“Making it to state last year has really motivated me because we were so close to a championship and being able to have that small taste of what the state tournament is like, it’s something that you will never forget and always want again.”
