Howard to be inducted to Georgia Southern's Wall of Fame

STATESBORO, Ga. – Georgia Southern Baseball will induct four new members to the Mason Clements Wall of Fame on February 4 as part of the Evening with the All-Stars Event.

The four members being inducted in the Wall of Fame are James Payne, Griffin Benedict, Sam Howard, and Mike Tidick.

Sam Howard (2012-2014)

A native of Cartersville, GA, Sam Howard played for the Eagles from 2012-2014 as a pitcher for Coach Rodney Hennon. Howard's development within the program would allow him to be an integral part of the 2014 team's 40-win season, Southern Conference Tournament Championship, and appearance in the NCAA Tallahassee Regional. In that season, Howard was an integral part of a pitching staff that would finish the season with a 3.15 ERA, the 3rd best in Georgia Southern history and lowest staff ERA since 1978. He led all starters with a 2.35 ERA, a .230 Batting Average Against, and led the entire staff with 94 strikeouts. Howard turned in one of the most memorable starts in Eagle history in his final performance at the Tallahassee Regional against the number 5 national seed Florida State Seminoles. He would throw a complete game shutout, striking out 10 Seminoles and allowing only 2 hits. Following the 2014 season, Howard was selected in the third round by the Colorado Rockies. Sam would become the 16th player in program history to reach the big leagues as he made his Major League debut for the Rockies on June 10, 2018. In 2020, Howard became a member of the Pirates organization. Thus far, Howard has accumulated 7 wins, and 111 Strikeouts in 100 major league appearances as a relief pitcher.