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On Wednesday, March 22, 2023 the softball world lost a loving father, husband and dedicated club coach as Sam Eakman—most recently an assistant coach on Head Coach Casey Shaulis’s Ohio Outlaws National 16U team—passed away unexpectedly at the age of 54.
The cause of death has not yet been released.
“This is devastating,” Coach Shaulis told Extra Inning Softball this morning. “Coach Sam is going to be incredibly missed and, not only was he a good coach, he was also a great friend. He kept me grounded, taught me the value of words and demonstrated loyalty.”
“The Eakman family needs all the help and support they can get from the softball community,” Coach Saulis continued.
A GoFundMe account has been established to help cover the coach’s funeral and other expenses (click HERE to access it).
“The girls loved him and are totally devastated. Sam didn’t know it, but he was like a calm within the storm for me. He helped me keep my emotions in check when things got heated. Me, the girls and our Outlaw families are going to dedicate this Summer and Summers to come to Coach Sam.”
Eakman had coached softball for eight years, spending time as a head coach for ROC Elite out of Mercer, Pa., before joining the Outlaws on which his daughter Angelina, who was ranked No. 63 in the 2026 Extra Elite 100, competed.
Coach Eakman was also beginning his first year as an assistant coach for Mercer (Pa.) High’s varsity softball team.
Angelina, who also goes by “Angie,” is a 5-foot-9 pitcher with speeds hitting up to 65 mph and is noted for her good spins. She has also been a two-time USSSA All American and Select 30 honoree and was invited to participate in the USA Softball HPP Program.
The coach’s passing lives a large void in the family, in the Outlaws organization and also in the community.
“Sam’s dedication to softball and the players on the softball team was a direct reflection of his character,” added Coach Shaulis.
“If there was softball going on, you could always find Sam pacing the parks taking in any and all information he could gather to help himself become a better coach or to gain intel on the next opponent. He was a great statistician and took great pride in being efficient in his work.”
Together, Coaches Shaulis, Eakman and Erin Muncy, led their Ohio Outlaws team to a 145-42-5 record since the Fall of 2020, winning many championships and going deep into bracket play in many more. Among the more recent top finishes for the Midwest-based team was taking 3rd in the Top Gun Invitational Maverick Division and winning the championship at the Stingrays Summer Invitational.
Coach Muncy, who herself was a pitcher at Kent State and is currently head coach at Southeast High in Atwater, Ohio, agreed that Eakman’s influence was far reaching.
“Sam was a great softball coach and a very genuine, humble man. He impacted far more people than he realized. Everyone enjoyed their time with Sam — he was a wonderful role model for the girls, other coaches and parents. He will be deeply missed by our team and everyone who knew him.”
Coach Sam owned and operated Allied Landscaping Services, since 1996, and is survived by his wife, Isabelle, and daughter, Angelina Rose, at home along with his parents, Samuel L. and Rosemary Eakman; a sister, Michelle Jordan and two brothers, Brian Eakman and wife Vickie and Michael Eakman, and wife Bobbi Jo. Sam was preceded in death by his grandparents.
Sam Eakman’s family will receive friends at Cunningham Funeral Home, Inc. (306 Bessemer Ave., Grove City, Pa). this Sunday, March 26, 2023, from 2:00 to 5:00 PM.
Donations to the family can be sent through GoFundMe at: https://www.gofundme.com/f/sam-eakman