Samuel Harris

Photo by: Bobby Ellis/Ball State University

Samuel Harris and Luke Johnston embrace after 4-hole playoff at E.Y. Invitational

Photo by: Samantha Blankenship / Ball State University

Class:
Freshman
Hometown:
Charlestown, Ind.
High School:
Indiana Connections Career Academy

MUNCIE, Ind. – Ball State men's golf coach Mike Fleck has announced the signing of Samuel Harris, the GolfWeek Junior Tour Player of the Year last fall. The Charlestown, Indiana, native is the third local signing by Fleck this year, joining Evansville North High School teammates Luke Johnston and Brody Sorrell.

Harris, who graduated from Indiana Connections Career Academy in December, attended Silver Creek High School in Sellersburg before completing his degree online. He will begin play with the Cardinals next fall.

On the junior circuit, Harris starred last fall over 10 events as part of the GolfWeek Junior Tour. He tallied eight finishes inside the top six including one win and a runner-up. His win came at the Elite Event in Dayton, Ohio, carding rounds of 71 and 68. He amassed an impressive 71.79 scoring average in his 19 rounds last fall, including 12 rounds of 71 or better.

"Samuel is a very athletic and determined young man whose game has really taken off over the past 12 months," said Fleck, the 2024 Mid-American Conference Coach of the Year. "One of the things I really love about Samuel is his desire to put himself out there and compete on any level. He dominated the GolfWeek Junior Tour Fall Series and his ranking has gone up significantly. His commitment to becoming an even better competitor has grown, and he is yet another of our state's elite players to join our Ball State family."

His second-place finish last fall came at the GolfWeek Junior Tour event in Columbus, Indiana, with a 71-70. Among his top finishes included a 71-73 at Delaware CC in Muncie, and a 70-70 at The Players Club at Woodland Trails, in nearby Yorktown. Ten of his 19 rounds last fall were under par.

At Silver Creek as a freshman and sophomore prior to opting for junior and amateur events, Harris helped the Dragons to a fourth-place tie in the 2022 IHSAA state finals while playing as a teammate with current Cardinals star Carter Smith.

Excited to add Harris following the signing of Johnston, Sorrell and last year's additions of Happy Gilmore and Gavin Hare, Fleck added: "We are fortunate to keep adding to a stable of talented young men entering our program." With five seniors on the Cardinals' 2024-25 roster, Fleck is expected to add at least one more student-athlete this spring.