On the bus ride to her preseason tournament, The University of Texas at Tyler's Sam Schott received a call she'd dreamed of.
It was UT Tyler, calling to tell her she had been accepted into its medical school.
Her teammates and coaches were right by her side. Her teammates captured the moment on their phones, and after the call ended, everyone swarmed her with hugs while music started playing.
"I was definitely crying in the moment," Schott said. "Getting to celebrate with my teammates on the bus, that was a pretty special moment that I'll hold with me."
Schott's acceptance to medical school was another accomplishment on the long list of her success at UT Tyler.
In her time as a Patriot, Schott helped the softball team win back-to-back NCAA Division II national championships, won two Lone Star Conference Golden Glove awards and set the school record for sacrifice hits. Academically, Schott graduated summa cum laude with a degree in biochemistry from the Honors College.
Most recently, she added one more accolade to the list: Earning the 2025 NCAA Woman of the Year award, honoring the academic achievements, athletic excellence, community service and leadership of a graduating female student-athlete.
Schott is the 2025 NCAA Woman of the Year. The Association's most prestigious award honors a graduating female student-athlete. (Photos courtesy of Sam Schott)
Yet Schott understands that her accomplishments didn't make her college career exceptional. Everything points back to her relationship with others.Â
"My time at UT Tyler was definitely more than just those national championships. The relationships with my teammates that I was able to form, those are lifelong friendships, and I'm so grateful for them," she said. "And then just the life lessons my coaches taught me, as well, that's just something I'll hold onto for the rest of my life."
Teammate Sam Garcia said no amount of words could fully describe the impact Schott, her senior teammate, made on her freshman year.
"The moment I stepped on campus, Sam welcomed me with open arms," Garcia said. "She never hesitated to pick up the phone, and anytime I needed someone to talk to, she was always there."
Schott's deep connection with others started early on in life with younger brother Zachary, who has autism. At 3 years old, Schott sat with Zachary, practicing flashcards and helping him with speech therapy exercises, her mother, Renea, remembered.
"From a very early age, she had to learn patience, empathy and what it means to truly support someone. She's helped him grow and gain confidence," Renea said.
In high school, Schott spent Saturday nights at the batting cage and studying for exams. She would ask her parents to take her to practice early and was always the last one to leave.
"She's just always had this inner self drive that is unique," Renea said. "She's always been the smallest kid, not necessarily the most athletically gifted kid ever, but the difference is, she outworks everybody."
At UT Tyler, Schott grounded the team, regularly praying for her teammates and leading team prayers. For Garcia, Schott demonstrated how to carry herself with pride on and off the field.
"The second practice ended, she was studying," Garcia said. "Her determination on and off the field was unmatched. She was not only an amazing player, but an even better person to stand by. Hardworking, dedicated, kind, determined, the list could go on forever. She's an incredible role model, and she inspires me constantly."
Schott reflected on winning Woman of the Year: "I didn't really understand the magnitude of it at first until I really started researching it and seeing some of the athletes that were also nominated for it. There's some pretty big athletes that I've grown up looking up to in different sports. That gave me a pretty good feeling."
Off the field, other physicians in East Texas encouraged Schott to join a program called Refuge International. Each summer in college, she traveled to Guatemala to assist medical teams in serving communities lacking basic health care. Schott saw how even simple medical interventions could help give people confidence in their health.Â
"It was members of the community stretching my boundaries and telling me to go down there and serve," she said. "It solidified my passion for medicine."
On campus, Schott engaged in the Fellowship of Christian Athletes program and supported missions like the Special Olympics and the East Texas food bank. As an East Texas native who grew up 45 minutes away from campus, service feels natural.
"Life isn't possible without community," Schott said. "Giving back in different ways is something I value, and I don't believe I'd be here without my community. So the least I can do is give back to the community that helped raise me."
Her service-oriented leadership extended to the softball field, too.Â
"I was called to lead by example, speak up during tough times and hold others accountable with empathy," Schott said in her nomination form. "These moments of growth and accountability during difficult days have reshaped my understanding of leadership: It is not merely a title but a day-to-day responsibility and commitment to uplift others."
One of the foundations of Schott's leadership was knowing her teammates off the field.
"She was always the person on our team that you went to when you needed advice," senior teammate JT Smith said. "No matter how busy she was with studying, she always found time to stop what she was doing and help whomever."
Schott's intentionality and discipline helped guide the Patriots' success. After losing in the Division II semifinals her freshman and sophomore year, the then-junior would not be denied.
"That night before I remember me and (teammate Cassidi Mullen) were talking, and we were like, 'Wow, tomorrow we're going to be national champions,'" Schott recalled.
Schott remembers the confidence her teammates had in one another. By the end of the game, they had beaten their opponent 10-1.
"That first one … you just can't put it into words. But it truly was an amazing experience. That is such a special team in my heart," she said.
"There is no one more deserving of this award," teammate Brylee Adams said about Schott. "Thank you for always making the people around you feel important. You're one of my biggest role models, and I couldn't be more thankful to call you a friend."
During their final season, Schott and her eight senior teammates dedicated themselves to repeating the magic of a national championship.
"After we won, we all got in a big circle, prayed and thanked God for the season," she said. "We also got to pray with people who had come in support of us, like our athletic director. Getting to thank God for that moment and how he had moved through our team, that was a really special moment for me."
After the game, Schott and the other seniors sat in the postgame interview, feeling everything together.
"We are all sappy and teary. It was a sad moment, but it was also awesome that we ended on the highest note you could end on," she said. "All that hard work that you would put in from the age of 7 or 8 finally paid off."
Now in her first year of medical school, Schott has seen softball's influence.
"I truly do believe it gives me a sense of grit that not necessarily everybody has because softball is a game of failure," she said. "It's hard, but you have to wake up and keep moving forward. You have to just work harder and use those times of failure."
And although she's in a different field, Schott will continue a path of leadership and service.
"She has a deep heart for people and helping them," her mother said. "If there's anyone's behavior or anyone I can emulate as a person, it would be her."
