Army West Point Athletics
Ruta Earns Freshman All-American Honors
June 09, 2021 | Baseball
TUCSON, Az. – Army West Point baseball's Sam Ruta has collected Freshman All-America honors from Louisville Slugger/Collegiate Baseball after a historic rookie season. Ruta landed on the squad as an outfielder, one of 64 position players in the country to earn the nod.
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The First Team All-Patriot League selection is the first Black Knight to earn the honor since teammate Anthony Giachin did so in 2018. In total, nine Cadets have landed on the Louisville Slugger/Collegiate Baseball Freshman All-America Team.
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"Sam had a really good first year, played every day and performed very well for us," head coach Jim Foster said. "He had some clutch hits with two outs and two strikes really that helped us win some big ballgames. Sam has a ton of upside and stays focused on getting better and becoming a complete player. Off the field, he did really good job in school and is a great person from a great family. He is the type of player and person we want at West Point."
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Ruta had a tremendous freshman season, helping to guide the team to its 2021 Patriot League Championship title with his .276 batting average, six doubles, five homers, three triples and 40 RBI. The Yardley, Pa. native was named the league's Rookie of the Year and at one point owned a 13-game streak of reaching base safely.
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The team's returning leader in hits (48) and total bases (75), Ruta's freshman campaign was highlighted by his grand slam during the team's game against UCLA in the Lubbock Regional. From the outfield, he recorded seven assists throughout the season.
To view the full Louisville Slugger/Collegiate Baseball Freshmen All-Americans, click HERE.Â
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The First Team All-Patriot League selection is the first Black Knight to earn the honor since teammate Anthony Giachin did so in 2018. In total, nine Cadets have landed on the Louisville Slugger/Collegiate Baseball Freshman All-America Team.
Â
"Sam had a really good first year, played every day and performed very well for us," head coach Jim Foster said. "He had some clutch hits with two outs and two strikes really that helped us win some big ballgames. Sam has a ton of upside and stays focused on getting better and becoming a complete player. Off the field, he did really good job in school and is a great person from a great family. He is the type of player and person we want at West Point."
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Ruta had a tremendous freshman season, helping to guide the team to its 2021 Patriot League Championship title with his .276 batting average, six doubles, five homers, three triples and 40 RBI. The Yardley, Pa. native was named the league's Rookie of the Year and at one point owned a 13-game streak of reaching base safely.
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The team's returning leader in hits (48) and total bases (75), Ruta's freshman campaign was highlighted by his grand slam during the team's game against UCLA in the Lubbock Regional. From the outfield, he recorded seven assists throughout the season.
To view the full Louisville Slugger/Collegiate Baseball Freshmen All-Americans, click HERE.Â
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Players Mentioned
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