Scott Sada
Sada rushes NCAA Division III record for career doubles
You would think hitting would be the defining attribute of someone who has slammed more doubles than any baseball player in Division III history.
For Scott Sada, it’s No. 2, trailing only his humility.
In April, Sada, who graduated from Penn State Behrend with a Plastics Engineering Technology degree, hit his eighty-second double against Medaille to become the NCAA Division III all-time leader in career doubles. He would add eight more before the season ended.
“Honestly, I did not even know I was close. It came out of nowhere,” said Sada, who primarily played shortstop in his four seasons with the Lions. “It’s definitely kind of cool to think about it now, but it was nothing I ever set out to do or accomplish.”
That is what makes Sada’s accomplishment even more impressive. In some baseball circles, the “two-bagger” is viewed as the quintessential hit. It keeps innings and rallies alive, often leading to a team scoring more runs in the contest.
For a player who averaged 22.5 doubles per season, you would think that there had to have been a method to the madness. For Sada, the secret might have been his speed.
“On our team, one of the big things we emphasized were hustle doubles,” he said. “For me, if the ball got past the third baseman, I would be looking two, just to get that extra 90 feet and be in scoring position. If I noticed that an outfielder was jogging to the ball, I would also try to catch him off guard and go for two.”
Of course, he does have that sweet spot when he’s standing in the batter’s box.
“It’s pretty much a fastball, middle in,” Sada said with a smile. “I’m pretty confident that my hands are fast enough that I can hit anyone’s fastball down the line.”
For his career, Sada finished with a .387/.454/.652 line. While doubles were his specialty, he was no slouch with regard to home runs, either, finishing with 22 over the course of his career.
His impact went well beyond the field, however.
“Scott was a major asset for our program. He was an instrumental part of the lineup and he positively influenced everyone in our program: coaches, teammates, alumni, faculty,” said Paul Benim, head coach of the Behrend baseball team. “It will be strange to not write Scott Sada into the lineup next spring. He honestly concludes his career as perhaps the most decorated player in the history of Behrend Lions baseball.”
Sada said he will miss his time as a member of the Penn State Behrend team but is ready for the next chapter. He is now working at PRISM Plastics in Meadville.
“I had such an awesome time at Behrend. Coach Benim makes you more than a college baseball player; he makes you a man, and I’ll always stay in touch with him,” Sada said. “I’m hoping to still play in some summer baseball leagues. I want to put off playing that slow-pitch softball for as long as I can.”