GREAT FALLS, Mont. – Former St. Olaf College baseball standout Sam Lavin '24 signed a professional contract with the Great Falls Voyagers of the Pioneer League, as announced earlier this summer.
Lavin inked a deal with the Voyagers after playing four years of baseball for St. Olaf from 2021-24 and using his final year of eligibility for NCAA Division I George Mason University this past spring. The Algonquin, Ill. native became the 11th professional signee in the last 29 years for St. Olaf by signing with Great Falls, which is an independent baseball team in the Pioneer League, an MLB Partner League.
"I am thrilled that Sam is receiving the opportunity to pitch professionally," said St. Olaf Head Baseball Coach Matt McDonald '89. "He is a tremendous leader with unmatched work ethic, and his hard work is being rewarded."
Since joining the roster in mid-June, Lavin has made three starts, including picking up his first professional win with 7.0 innings of four-hit shutout ball with one walk and 10 strikeouts in a 1-0 victory over the Glacier Range Riders on June 24.
During his career at St. Olaf, Lavin was named a Second Team All-American by both D3baseball.com and the American Baseball Coaches Association (ABCA) in his senior season and was a two-time D3baseball.com and ABCA All-Region selection, as well as a two-time All-Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAC) honoree. As a senior, he was selected as the MIAC Max Molock Player of the Year after a standout two-way season.
On the mound, Lavin made 35 appearances (26 starts) at St. Olaf, going 13-5 with a 3.55 ERA and 186 strikeouts in 144.1 innings of work while tallying three saves. He also started 129 of the 133 games he played in the lineup, hitting .364 (160-for-439) with a .442 on-base percentage and .569 slugging percentage. Lavin racked up 33 doubles, 12 triples, 11 home runs, 101 runs scored, 115 RBI, 60 walks, and 13 stolen bases. He finished his career ranked second in strikeouts per nine innings (11.60), third in opponent batting average (.246), fifth in triples (12), ninth in RBI (115) and total bases (250), and 10th in strikeouts (186), and games started (129).
In 2025, Lavin made 16 appearances (eight starts) for George Mason, posting a 5-0 record with one save and a 5.29 ERA while striking out 55 in 64.2 innings on the mound. He also hit .247 (19-for-77) with one double, one home run, seven walks, nine runs scored, 11 RBI, and three stolen bases.