Michigan State Baseball: Sam Benschoter Signs with Cincinnati Reds
East Lansing, Mich. – Michigan State baseball's Sam Benschoter signed with the Cincinnati Reds as an undrafted free agent on Wednesday.
The senior right-handed pitcher is the second Spartan to join the majors following redshirt junior Mason Erla, who was selected in the MLB Draft's 17th round by the Los Angeles Angels Tuesday afternoon.
Benschoter, a Tecumseh native, was second on the team with 79 strikeouts (12th in the Big Ten), posting three wins in 69.1 innings pitched.
He opened the season firing a then career-high 10 Ks in a 6-0 shutout win for Michigan State over Maryland before following it up with a modern-day school record of 17 strikeouts vs. Nebraska in 9.1 IP, passing Mark Mulder's 16 Ks against Campbell in 1998.
"Sam was unbelievable. He came in in a really tough spot and was dominant," MSU coach Jake Boss Jr. said on April 25. "There is no other way to put it. It was a school record in strikeouts with 17, and he was in complete control."
In return, Benschoter was named to Collegiate Baseball's National Players of the Week list and earned Big Ten Co-Pitcher of the Week honors in a span of three days.
He earned the 2021 Spartan Spirit Award at the season's end, which is given to the most positive team player.
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