Northfield Native Maus Making a Name for Himself in St. Olaf Baseball Program

The Maus family has always been synonymous with athletic success in Northfield, and now Sam Maus is making a name for himself in the St. Olaf College baseball program.
 
The freshman stayed in his hometown to study exercise science and play baseball for the Oles, his passion for much of his young life.
 
"It's basically been my life for a long time, since I was a little kid," Maus said. "We always played sports in my family. It's just what we did."
 
In his first season with the Oles, Maus is the starting shortstop and is the lead-off batter. It didn't take long for him to make an impact. In the first week for conference honors, he was named the MIAC Player of the Week for his performance in a MIAC-opening sweep over St. Mary's.

Maus hit .667 with two runs, two doubles and three RBI as the Oles opened MIAC play with 7-0 and 10-1 wins over the Cardinals.

In the second game of the sweep, he went 3-for-4 with two doubles, two runs, two RBI and a sacrifice fly. He also handled all six of his fielding chances without an error over the two games.
 
Before Saturday's double-header against St. John's University, which the Oles split, Maus was in the top 10 in the MIAC in hitting with a .387 average. He was at or near the top of the MIAC in hits (23), doubles (seven), runs (17) and total bases (32) to go along with 13 RBI and a .901 fielding percentage.
 
"He's off to a great start. He's different than a lot of the college players we get," said St. Olaf coach Matt McDonald. "He has a high baseball IQ and loves to compete. And he can make all the plays."
 
Barring injury, McDonald now knows who his starting shortstop is every time he fills out a lineup card for the next four years.

"It's a great feeling," McDonald said.
 
Maus said it was a pretty easy decision to attend college at St. Olaf and play baseball. Becoming an Ole allowed him to stay close to his family, and he gets a tuition break as his mother, Lynda Maus, works at the college. He said playing baseball has made the transition to college life easier.
 
"It's been great. The guys on the team are awesome," the shortstop said. "I wouldn't want to spend my afternoons with anybody else."
 
Sam is the second youngest of five children. His oldest brother, Josh Maus, was a shortstop at St. Olaf for four years. Sam was a standout quarterback at Northfield High School for more than three seasons, leading the Raiders to the Prep Bowl in 2008. But his best sport is baseball, and he proved it by being called up to the varsity team just a couple weeks into his freshman year.
 
His father, Pete Maus, had been his baseball coach until he enrolled in college in the fall. Aside from proximity, the decision to go to St. Olaf was aided by McDonald being a family friend of the Mauses.
 
"I just love the baseball program here and it's good that I can be close to home," Sam said. "Coach McDonald loves to win. He will do anything to win a game, and I love playing for a guy like that."
 
Adjusting to the college game wasn't as hard for Sam as it is for most.

He grew up playing sports against older, stronger kids. He also joined the Dundas Dukes amateur baseball team at a young age, letting him get a taste of playing against much older competition. He said his biggest adjustment in college baseball has been his approach at the plate.
 
"You're consistently facing good teams who have great pitching, so there's no breaks you can take," Sam said. "You can't sit back. Every at-bat means something."
 
Maus said he eventually wants to get into physical therapy or become a personal trainer. For now, he'll work on getting on base at the plate and making sure his opponents stay off the basepaths with his defense.
 
St. Olaf is currently 17-4 on the season and 5-1 in MIAC play heading into a Tuesday doubleheader against Hamline University. The Oles are ranked No. 15 in Division III.