#10
Sam DeLuca
Senior
2B
5-11 / 190 / R/R
Pelham, N.Y.
Hackley/Manhattan College
On DeLuca
A gritty second baseman and consistent hitter and defender …
is annually ranked among the nation's toughest hitters to strike
out … has reached base safely in 102 of his 113 career games at St.
John's … has made great strides as a defender and excelled at
turning the double play.
As a Junior (2006)
Hit .339 with 15 extra-base hits, 14 stolen bases, 53 runs
scored and a .395 on-base percentage … earned third team All-BIG
EAST honors and was an Academic All-BIG EAST selection … was
tied for the team lead with 29 multi-hit games and ranked third
with 82 hits … reached base safely in 54 of 59 games … ranked as
the 17th toughest batter to strike out in NCAA Division I baseball,
averaging one strikeout per 17.3 at-bats … was successful on
14-of-15 stolen base attempts, including his first 12 to start the
season … had five hits and scored four runs in five BIG EAST
Tournament games (May 23-26) … went 4-for-10 with two doubles,
three RBI and two runs scored in the final two games of a series at
Cincinnati (May 19-20) … tied career-highs with four hits and three
runs scored in six at-bats against USF (May 13) … went 4-for-7 with
three RBI and two runs in a day-night doubleheader against Long
Island and Iona (May 10) … had two hits in each game of a series
sweep of Seton Hall (May 6-7), going a combined 6-for-11 with two
RBI and two walks in the series … had a career day in a win over
Princeton (April 25), setting new career-highs with four hits and
five RBI in five at-bats … was 5-for-13 with a double, stolen base,
two walks and four runs scored in a three-game series at Notre Dame
(April 13-15) … tied a then-career-high with three hits and came
within a home run of hitting for the cycle in the team’s home
opener against Albany (March 14) … hit his first homer of the
season, doubled and drove in three runs at East Tennessee State
(March 5).
As a Sophomore (2005)
Started 55 games at second base … had a .292 average with 11
doubles, two triples, three home runs, 36 runs and 28 RBI … was a
member of the Corvallis, Ore. All-Regional team after recording
four hits, two runs, two doubles and an RBI in four NCAA Tournament
games … earned Academic All-BIG EAST honors ... reached base safely
in 49 of 55 games, including 30 of his first 31 games at St. John's
… also walked 16 times and was hit by a team-high tying 11 pitches
for a .380 on-base percentage … with 14 strikeouts in 178 at-bats,
was the second-toughest on the team to strike out … was fourth on
the team with 76 total bases and had a .427 slugging percentage …
had the team's second-longest hit streak of the season at 10 games
… streak spanned three different BIG EAST series and saw him hit
.455 (15-33) with seven extra-base hits and 11 RBI … scored runs in
14 of the first 19 games of the season, including streaks of six
and seven games with at least one run … went 3-for-4 with a double,
two runs and an RBI in an NCAA Tournament win over Ohio State (June
6) … went 1-for-4 with a two-run homer against his former team,
Manhattan (May 17) … doubled, tripled, walked and drove in two runs
in four plate appearances at West Virginia (April 17) … had three
straight multi-hit games on the road, going 2-for-3 with two RBI
and a run at Fairleigh Dickinson (April 6) and a combined 5-for-7
with two RBI, four runs and a home run in a doubleheader at
Georgetown (April 9).
At Manhattan
Appeared in 53 games, starting 51 at second base … third on
the team with a .345 batting average (71-for-206) … led the team
and set a Manhattan College record with 71 hits … was second on the
team with 14 doubles and third with 37 runs scored … Hit two
triples and one home run and drove in 24 runs … struck out only
seven times in 206 at-bats last year … ranked as the
second-toughest batter to strike out in Division I ... stole 11
bases … earned Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference Rookie of the
Week honors.
At Hackley
A four-sport standout at Hackley, playing baseball,
football, basketball and running indoor track … captained all teams
as a senior and was named the team’s MVP in baseball, football and
track … played shortstop and second base in baseball … in football,
played nine positions (quarterback, safety, cornerback, wide
receiver, running back, kicker, punter, punt returner and kickoff
returner) … ran the 55-meters and 4x200 relay in track.
Personal
Born Sept. 30, 1985 in New York City … son of Sam and Diane DeLuca
… his father was an All-American offensive lineman at South
Carolina and spent 10 years in the National Football League,
playing for the San Diego Chargers and New York Jets … played left
guard for the Jets, protecting quarterback Joe Namath’s blind side
… lists leading Hackley football team on drive with less than two
minutes left when he completed four passes and kicked the winning
field goal against Riverdale as the most thrilling moment in his
athletic career .. lists his mother and father as the most
influential people in his athletic career.
Career
Statistics