University of Missouri Athletics

2018

• Was an unquestioned leader as a dependable bat and elite defender at third base during his senior season.
• Hit .253 with a team-high nine doubles and a triple while driving in 17 runs in 49 games, including 38 starts.
• Reached base at a career-best clip of .329 and fielded at a .955 clip.
• He committed errors in two of his first five games but then committed just three errors in his final 44 games while making a considerable amount of highlight-reel plays.
• Finished fifth on the team with 11 multi-hit games and had two games with a season-high three hits, once vs. Arkansas State (3/20) and again vs. Mississippi State (3/24).
• Had two separate six-game hitting streaks late in the season and reached base in 12 of 13 games from April 24 through May 17.
• Had a pair of doubles in Mizzou’s win at home vs. Missouri State (4/24).
• That was part of a stretch during which he doubled in three straight games after hitting a two-bagger in each of the first two games at nationally-ranked Kentucky (4/27 – 4/28).
• Drove in a career-high five vs. Arkansas State (3/20) with three hits and a double.
• Scored a season-high three runs at Iowa (5/1).

2017

• Hit .202 as Mizzou’s everyday starter at third base, adding 11 doubles and a homer while driving in 23 runs
• Started 49 games and played in 56, scoring 30 runs
• Tallied seven multi-hit games and put together a season-long seven-game hit streak from April 7-16 with five of those games coming against SEC teams
• Drove in a pair of runs in each of the final two games of the Georgia series (April 7-8), posting a double at Suntrust Park in the series finale
• Drove in three runs with a double against Eastern Kentucky (5/16)
• Nearly homered at the SEC Tournament against South Carolina (5/25), driving an RBI double off the top of the wall in left field to get Mizzou back into the game
• Hit his only homer of the year at Texas A&M Corpus Christi (2/23), an opposite field shot as he drove in two runs in the game.
• 2016-17 First-Year SEC Academic Honor Roll

2016 Fall

• Hit .261 (6-for-23) during the Fall World Series, scoring three runs and driving in one more.
• Tallied a double and a triple and a walk over six fall games
• Was 1-for-1 in the stolen base department as well

Before Mizzou

• Solid defender with a professional approach at the plate and a complete baseball I.Q. while also possessing high character off the field.
• Joined Mizzou’s program after a highly successful career at Navarro College after originally signing to join head coach Steve Bieser at Southeast Missouri during the November signing period
• Was part of a highly successful program at Navarro that went 70-34 over his two seasons, including a 39-16 mark during his sophomore campaign under head coach Matt Podjenski
• Guided Navarro to Region 14 East Championships in 2015 and 2016 while earning All-Region First Team as a sophomore, also earning regional all-academic honors
• Hit .361 in his career at Navarro with 11 homers and 96 RBI with 31 of his 126 hits doing for doubles.
• Hit all 11 of his homers as a sophomore, driving in 60 runs with 18 doubles, scoring 60 more runs
• Ended his junior college career ranked fifth in Navarro history in batting (.361), seventh in hits (126), ninth in runs (81), ninth in homers (11), third in RBI (96) and second in doubles (31)
• His 79 hits and 18 doubles as a sophomore rank third in a single season at Navarro
• Also ranks fifth in a single season with his 11 homers and 60 runs as a sophomore – his 60 RBI ranks as the fourth-most in a season at Navarro
• Four-year letterman at Bridgeport High School under the direction of head coach Ted Leps, earning all-county and all-district honors during his junior and senior seasons
• Named the district and county newcomer of the year as a freshman in 2011, guiding Bridgeport to an area title that year
• Hit .341 with a homer and 18 RBI as a senior while pitching to a 2.93 ERA and three wins
• Finished his high school career with a .315 average over four seasons with four homers and 52 RBI

Personal

• Born Nov. 7, 1995, in Fort Worth, Texas
• Parents: Father - Wesley Samples; Mother – Sarah Samples
• Has an older sister who is a registered nurse
• Majoring in business and marketing while at Mizzou