Jim Soma

Jim Soma

Class of 1989
Inducted in 1998

Jim Soma ’89 was an All-America outfielder in baseball. He was a third-team All-America and first-team all-region and All-North Coast Athletic Conference pick as a senior after leading the NCAC in batting with a .447 average, then the sixth-best in Ohio Wesleyan history, and leading the team with 4 home runs and 37 runs batted in. As a junior, he batted .442, then sixth-best at OWU, and led the Bishops with 7 home runs and 45 RBI, both ranking fifth on the OWU season lists, on the way to second-team all-region and first-team All-NCAC honors. He was an honorable mention All-NCAC pick both as a sophomore and a freshman, ranking second on the team with a .359 batting average, slamming 4 home runs and driving in 31 runs as a freshman and knocking in 36 runs as a sophomore. He finished his career with a .369 average, ranking third all-time, and ranked second on the career list for runs batted in (149); third in hits (188), doubles (37), and total bases (281); and fourth in at bats (510), runs (117), and home runs (16). He set a school record with a 26-game hitting streak covering the 1988 and 1989 seasons.