McMurry University Athletics

2021 (Senior):
First team all-conference as a utility player ... Started 32 of 33 games as a hitter ... Also made nine relief appearances on the mound as the primary closer ... Led the pitching staff with a 2.60 ERA and three saves in 17.1 innings ... Held opponents to a .182 batting average ... Also led all hitters with a .977 OPS ... Batted .336 with 39 hits ... Team-high eight doubles and 29 RBI ... His six homers and .560 slugging percentage ranked second on the team ... Ended the season on a six game hitting streak, batting 13-for-24 in that span ... Also opened on a five-game hit streak ... Team-best 12 multi-hit games ... Went 4-for-5 against UMHB on April 17 with a homer, two runs score and two RBI ... Four three-RBI games ... A .966 fielding percentage.

2020:
Started in all 17 games ... Led the team and ranked among the conference leaders in batting average at .344 ... Had 21 hits, including four homers, four doubles, a triple, 13 runs and 18 RBI ... Had a .500 on-base percentage and a .639 slugging percentage ... 11 walks ... One stolen base in two tries ... Smashed a 16th inning walk-off home run against St. Thomas (Houston) to win series finale, 12-11 ... The walk-off homer was named one BlueFrame Technology's National Top 16 Plays of the Year, making the Final Four of the social media tournament ... Made four appearances on the mound ... Pitched back-to-back days against Schreiner to open the season, earning the decision for the team's first win on Feb. 8 ... Finished the season with a 1-2 record and a 9.82 ERA in 7.1 innings ... Granted an extra year of eligibility from shortened season.

2019 (Junior):
Played in 36 games with 34 starts ... American Southwest Conference postseason honorable mention ... Second on the team and 17th in the American Southwest Conference with 44 total hits ... Finished second on the team hitting with a .349 average (44-126) ... Tied for the team lead in runs (25), doubles (10) and total bases (72) ... Led the team with six dingers and a .571 slugging percentage.

Previous:
Played his freshman and sophomore seasons at Frank Phillips College in 2017 and 2018.

High School:
A 2016 graduate of Borger High School in Borger, Texas … Earned seven varsity letters.
 
Personal:
Born September 17, 1998 in Victorville, California … From San Antonio, Texas ... Son of Chris Hillyer and Brandie Lawrence … His wife is McMurry Tennis scholar-athlete Claire Hillyer ... Sam has five brothers and two sisters ... Majoring in physical education with an additional minor in education.