Sam Mulock plays softball at Chico State. She developed a passion for the game at a young age because of her father liking baseball. She soon got involved in the game herself.

“I got into it because my dad really liked baseball when he was younger,” Mulock said. “He wanted me to play softball. My mom really likes soccer. I played soccer for a long time when I was younger. Playing both sports that my parents liked was really what it was.”

Off the field, Mulock comes from a strong family background. She was born in San Diego and has a fantastic relationship with her family. Mulock lives in San Diego currently with her younger sister, mom and dad.

Mulock is a southpaw pitcher on the team, which means she is a left-handed pitcher and one of the few left-handers currently on the roster.

Mulock is considered to be one of the leaders on the team and is known for taking the younger players under her wing and guiding them along the way, not just on the softball field. She is a psychology major and plans to attend graduate school after her days in Chico conclude.

“Sam is awesome,” said sophomore infielder Grace Gallagher. “She’s very supportive. She also has my same major of psychology. She’s always very helpful in helping me with classes. She’s funny and very caring.”

Before COVID-19 shut down their season in March, Mulock was one of the stars on the team with a 10-0 record and an earned run average of 0.79. That was the lowest in the CCAA. But for Mulock it hasn’t always been an easy route in the sports world.

“It’s awesome because I know how hard she works,” Gallagher said. “I know being an athlete hasn’t always been the easiest for her. She’s had to work really hard to get where she is, so it just makes me really proud of her.”

Even during the coronavirus pandemic, Mulock still manages to do whatever she can to stay active and in great physical shape. Both of her exercise routines include indoor and outdoor workouts.

“My dad has some gym equipment,” Mulock said. “Also, running in the neighborhood and having my dad catch my pitching workouts.”

With Mulock’s window of opportunity to play for Chico State closing, she may not get a chance to show some of the new players coming up how to be successful and help guide them along the way.

Recently, the Wildcats acquired six new players to be on the roster. These girls are looking forward to playing on the field with the current girls. Alani Nguyen, a sophomore and current member of the team hopes to be the best teammate she can be for these new recruits.

Nguyen was guided herself by Mulock when she was a freshman and hopes she can teach the new players what Mulock once taught her and guided them. 

“I just want to take them under my wing and show them the ropes of the program,” Nguyen said. “Hopefully try to do what Sam did with me as a freshman and just guide me through the process. Help them in any way that I can and just always be there for them.”

Alex Martin can be reached at [email protected] or @alexmartinjour on Twitter.