Murray State University Athletics
Photo by: David Eaton-Murray State Athletics
Runnin’ With The Racers Podcast – Cade Sammons
3/29/2023 2:14:00 PM | Baseball
Current Murray State outfielder experiences the pride of wearing the blue & gold just as his dad did
Murray State baseball student-athlete Cade Sammons is living out the dream of putting on the Racers' uniform just as his dad, Jason, did in the early 1
990's.
"Whenever we were younger, dad would always bring us out to Johnny Reagan Field whenever we'd come visit family in Murray. We'd go after the team finished their practices and just toss it around with dad and my brother," Sammons remembered. "I wanted to be like one of them when I grew up. Being a Racer on this team means the world to me actually. I mean, getting to follow in the footsteps of my dad playing for Murray State is awesome and I wouldn't do it with any other guys."
Sammons, a junior from Jackson, Tennessee, is this week's guest on the Runnin' with the Racers Podcast. Hosted by Dave Winder, the Runnin' with the Racers Podcast posts each week to GoRacers.com, Spotify, iTunes and Soundcloud.
Here are some of the highlights from the podcast.
Overcoming Adversity
After his transfer to Murray State from Ole Miss, where Sammons played in 40 games as an underclassman, he was ready to make a major contribution in 2021-22 until injuries sidelined him.
In the summer of 2021, Sammons had signed with MSU and was getting some time in with the Paducah (KY) Chiefs of the Ohio Valley League.
"I was glad to get some at-bats with the Chiefs and play some games," Sammons recalls. "I was on first base and I took off to steal second base. I just felt my hamstring pop as I was sliding in. At that point I was like, what did I just do? I'm thinking, I haven't even stepped on Murray State's campus yet and then this."
Coach Dan Skirka brought Sammons along cautiously in the fall and by springtime 2022, he was ready to go.
Sammons started 23 games in the MSU outfield and appeared in a total of 28 games and swiped five bases when his season ended in (April 23, 2022) in Mattoon as the Racers defeated Eastern Illinois in a wild 24-20 victory.
"There's a ball hit in foul territory and I'm running to ball and I think all of a sudden there was this pole!" Sammons said. "I run into it and bounce off like 30 feet from it. You knew immediately you had something wrong with your wrist."
The good news is that Sammons' broken wrist healed and his 2023 season is injury-free. He's hitting .241 in 87 at-bats with 21 hits and 11 RBIs and leads the Racer outfielders with 53 putouts.
Hitters Hit
Sammons is an aggressive hitter. A free swinger with only seven walks in 100 plate appearances this spring.
"I'll get my walks, but I don't really like to see many pitches," Sammons said. "I go up there hacking and Coach Skirka wants us to be aggressive at the plate. I'm just looking to get a pitch that I can handle over the plate and do damage with it. I'm trying to get a fastball middle away and up. I stay up the middle and the other way mostly."
Sammons has cracked one home run this spring and it was no ordinary homer. On March 17, at home, Sammons recorded just the third inside-the-park home run since 2009 against Southern Indiana. If you're scoring at home, the others happened in 2009, when Tyler Owens circled the bases in Nashville against Belmont. The latest Racer inside-the-park feat happened at home in 2021 against UT Martin as the speedy Jake Slunder did it.
Racer Baseball Culture
In Coach Dan Skirka's culture of Racer Baseball, much is expected from each player on the field and off it.
"They (Coaching staff) like to keep it loose during practice and games," Sammons said. "When it comes time to lock it in, they expect you to do well and do the things for the team to get a win. Our coaches trust us enough to not have us on a leash on us about what we need to get done, they trust us enough to get our stuff done whenever we need to. They allow you freedom, but then you also understand that you're part of a team and that's very important."
Cade Sammons is majoring in Exercise Science.
990's."Whenever we were younger, dad would always bring us out to Johnny Reagan Field whenever we'd come visit family in Murray. We'd go after the team finished their practices and just toss it around with dad and my brother," Sammons remembered. "I wanted to be like one of them when I grew up. Being a Racer on this team means the world to me actually. I mean, getting to follow in the footsteps of my dad playing for Murray State is awesome and I wouldn't do it with any other guys."
Sammons, a junior from Jackson, Tennessee, is this week's guest on the Runnin' with the Racers Podcast. Hosted by Dave Winder, the Runnin' with the Racers Podcast posts each week to GoRacers.com, Spotify, iTunes and Soundcloud.
Here are some of the highlights from the podcast.
Overcoming Adversity
After his transfer to Murray State from Ole Miss, where Sammons played in 40 games as an underclassman, he was ready to make a major contribution in 2021-22 until injuries sidelined him.
In the summer of 2021, Sammons had signed with MSU and was getting some time in with the Paducah (KY) Chiefs of the Ohio Valley League.
"I was glad to get some at-bats with the Chiefs and play some games," Sammons recalls. "I was on first base and I took off to steal second base. I just felt my hamstring pop as I was sliding in. At that point I was like, what did I just do? I'm thinking, I haven't even stepped on Murray State's campus yet and then this."
Coach Dan Skirka brought Sammons along cautiously in the fall and by springtime 2022, he was ready to go.
Sammons started 23 games in the MSU outfield and appeared in a total of 28 games and swiped five bases when his season ended in (April 23, 2022) in Mattoon as the Racers defeated Eastern Illinois in a wild 24-20 victory.
"There's a ball hit in foul territory and I'm running to ball and I think all of a sudden there was this pole!" Sammons said. "I run into it and bounce off like 30 feet from it. You knew immediately you had something wrong with your wrist."
The good news is that Sammons' broken wrist healed and his 2023 season is injury-free. He's hitting .241 in 87 at-bats with 21 hits and 11 RBIs and leads the Racer outfielders with 53 putouts.
Hitters Hit
Sammons is an aggressive hitter. A free swinger with only seven walks in 100 plate appearances this spring.
"I'll get my walks, but I don't really like to see many pitches," Sammons said. "I go up there hacking and Coach Skirka wants us to be aggressive at the plate. I'm just looking to get a pitch that I can handle over the plate and do damage with it. I'm trying to get a fastball middle away and up. I stay up the middle and the other way mostly."
Sammons has cracked one home run this spring and it was no ordinary homer. On March 17, at home, Sammons recorded just the third inside-the-park home run since 2009 against Southern Indiana. If you're scoring at home, the others happened in 2009, when Tyler Owens circled the bases in Nashville against Belmont. The latest Racer inside-the-park feat happened at home in 2021 against UT Martin as the speedy Jake Slunder did it.
Racer Baseball Culture
In Coach Dan Skirka's culture of Racer Baseball, much is expected from each player on the field and off it.
"They (Coaching staff) like to keep it loose during practice and games," Sammons said. "When it comes time to lock it in, they expect you to do well and do the things for the team to get a win. Our coaches trust us enough to not have us on a leash on us about what we need to get done, they trust us enough to get our stuff done whenever we need to. They allow you freedom, but then you also understand that you're part of a team and that's very important."
Cade Sammons is majoring in Exercise Science.
Players Mentioned
OF
/ Baseball
OF
/ BaseballMason Miller & Dylan Anderson | Racer Mens Basketball | 10/27 Press Conference
Monday, October 27
Head Coach Ryan Miller | Racer Mens Basketball | 10/27 Press Conference
Monday, October 27
Head Coach Ryan Miller | Racer Basketball Post Game Press Conference | 10/26/25
Monday, October 27
Javon Jackson | Racer Basketball Post Game Press Conference | 10/26/25
Monday, October 27
