Athlete of the Week: Sam Deters

Usually the most recognized athletes are the ones whose names you hear announced over the loudspeaker around the time the national anthem is played. Often, though, talented athletes are the ones who have their name and number echoed through the stadium later in the game, many times to fill a certain niche in the team. A prime example would be Sam Deters. Deters, a senior mechanical engineer, has earned his spot on the team as a closer on the mound.

An Engineer career record, Deters has come out of the bullpen 15 times to record a pitching save. His first place mark is more than double than that of second place. As Deters describes it, “a closer doesn’t have as much room for error and there’s more of a rush coming in at the end of a close game.” So far this season, Deters has a perfect 0.00 earned runs average (ERA) in seven games and three saves through 11 games.

When asked about his past baseball experience, Deters told the Rose Thorn how he has been playing baseball “since [he] was a little kid”. He also mentioned how his most memorable experience was “the first time [he] threw a no hitter in high school” and how honored he felt “being selected to the Illinois all-state baseball team.” He goes on saying, “[Being at Rose], I’ve met a lot of great people and have had the opportunity to play on some awesome baseball fields … [After Rose] I’ll definitely play in a league somewhere close to where I live.” When asked about his opinion on this year’s team, he commented “I think we should do very well this year. We’re very talented and have great team chemistry.”