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Bachman makes history, selected by Los Angeles Angels as 9th overall pick

<p>Sam Bachman is in his second season of pro ball after being drafted in the first round by the Los Angeles Angels last year. <em>Courtesy of Miami Athletics</em></p>

Sam Bachman is in his second season of pro ball after being drafted in the first round by the Los Angeles Angels last year. Courtesy of Miami Athletics

Miami RedHawks pitcher Sam Bachman made university history Sunday night as he was selected by the Los Angeles Angels in the first round of the MLB draft, which was televised on ESPN.

After more than 100 years, Miami University’s baseball program finally has a player selected in the first round of Major League Baseball’s (MLB) first-year player draft.

Bachman posted a 1.81 earned run average and 93 strikeouts in 59.2 innings pitched in Miami’s 2021 season.

Bachman is the first RedHawk selected in the MLB draft since Hayden Senger, who was picked in the 24th round of the 2018 draft by the New York Mets. Pitchers Zach Spears and Nick Ernst were also selected in 2018 in the 8th and 15th rounds by the Pittsburgh Pirates and New York Yankees, respectively.

Bachman was picked a bit higher than expected, as he was ranked as the 14th best prospect by MLB.com.

Though Bachman was invited to the draft, which was held at the Bellco Theatre in Denver, he chose to hold a draft night party in Oxford with family, teammates and coaches. Bachman estimates there were about 120 people in attendance.

"I think a lot of people, especially in my circle, deserve a lot of credit for making sacrifices to keep this journey alive for me," Bachman said. "A lot went into it, and I didn't want to select just three or four people to be there with me, and I wanted to be around people that I feel like deserve credit and recognition."

When Bachman was selected, a wave of emotion overcame him.

"I didn't think I was gonna cry or show much emotion," Bachman said. "But after hugging some of the folks that really sacrificed a lot, it gets pretty emotional pretty quick. It was awesome, and I'm just really thankful I got to share it with them."

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Bachman joins the Angels as the team is currently fourth in the American League (AL) West with a 45-44 record. While the team boasts two generational players in Mike Trout and fellow pitcher Shohei Ohtani, the team hasn't made the playoffs since 2014.

While it's unclear how the Angels plan to utilize Bachman, he sees himself as a starting pitcher for the organization. However, the righty from Fischers, Ind. knows he'll have to show the team what he can do in any situation.

"I see myself as a long-term starter," he said. "But if it takes coming out of the 'pen to prove to them something, I'm always up for the challenge."

nelso156@miamioh.edu

@LukasTheDream

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