Hall of Fame
Sam (Meier) Larson was inducted posthumously. Larson was a stand-out pitcher for the Buena Vista softball team from 1983-86, posting a career 34-15 mark with two saves inside the circle. She pitched in 250 innings during her career with a career earned run average (ERA) of 0.90, a mark that remains the best all-time in program history.
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As a freshman in 1983, Larson earned the win as BVU defeated Augsburg University in the NCAA Regional Final before going on to become NCAA National Runner-up. During her sophomore campaign in 1984, Larson allowed just one unearned run over 49 innings pitched during Iowa Conference play for a 0.00 ERA. She went 8-2 overall that season with one save and helped lead the team to the NCAA Division III National Softball Championship. As a senior, she pitched in 10 games overall and finished 5-3-1 with an ERA of 1.17. One of those five wins was a 2-1 victory over the University of Iowa.
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Larson was a First Team All-Iowa Conference selection in 1984 and 1985 and an All-West Region selection in 1985.
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Following her graduation, Larson spent one year teaching special education in Mason City, Iowa. She then joined the West Des Moines Community School District as a multi-categorical special education instructor. She would go onto earn a master’s degree in special education from Iowa State University and served the Area Education Agency in working with special education teachers and local school administrators.
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In 1999, Larson would suffer from a second onset of aplastic anemia and eventually led to her death in February of that year. She and her husband, Steve, had one daughter, Meredith.
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