This is the first in a series of 10 articles profiling the 2017 inductees into the Butler County Sports Hall of FamePORTERSVILLE — The call was surprising. The honor is deserving.Sam Moore, a 1951 graduate of Muddy Creek Township High School in Portersville, is entering the Butler County Sports Hall of Fame. He will be inducted posthumously.Moore was a standout pitcher in the Eagle County League, for sandlot teams and in the Army during the 1950s.“We were surprised when we got the call (from the HOF) that Sam was being inducted,” his daughter-in-law, Brenda Moore, said. “We weren’t even aware he was still being considered.”Moore died in 1992. His wife, the former Patricia Shiever of Prospect, submitted a Hall of Fame resume’ on Moore’s behalf in 2006.She died in 2013.Dan Moore, the couple’s only child, will accept the induction on his father’s behalf during the 52nd annual BCSHOF Banquet April 29 at the Butler Days Inn.“I wasn’t born until after my dad’s playing days,” Moore said. “But I know he was a dominant pitcher. My mother compiled a bunch of clippings about some of his games ... They are impressive.”Sam Moore pitched for the FFA championship softball team in 1950. He pitched in the Lawrence County-New Castle City Baseball League from 1951-53, helping Wampum win the city pennant in 1952.His biggest claim to fame came in the Eagle County League, where he pitched Middle Lancaster to its first league championship in 25 years in 1957. Moore was named MVP of the Eagle County League in 1954.Middle Lancaster went unbeaten in the 1957 league playoffs. Moore homered and tripled in a win over Mars. He struck out eight and tossed a two-hitter in a 6-1 win over Callery that season.Simply put, when Moore pitched, Middle Lancaster won.His most dominant outing was a no-hitter against Warrendale, Moore struck out 15 in that game. The year after he won the Eagle County MVP award, he went away to serve in the Army.Moore pitched for the 37th Tank Battalion in the Post Baseball Championship tournament in Fort Hood, Texas, in 1956. He struck out 13 and tossed a three-hitter in a 9-1 title game victory.“He was happy he got picked to pitch in those games,” Dan Moore said of his father’s Army baseball experiences. “He once told me it got him out of KP and some other things he would have had to do.”Moore was considered a professional baseball prospect. He was scouted by teams and was offered a pro contract.“Back then, they wanted players when they were really young, possibly still in school,” Dan Moore said. “My father was still in high school and his dad made him finish school before he could consider turning pro.“It never happened for him after that.”After all these years, the Hall of Fame is happening for him.“We’re thrilled about this as a family ... very, very excited,” Dan Moore said.Tickets for the April 29 HOF banquet are $35 in advance, $40 at the door. Ticket outlets include Parkers Appliance in Chicora, Bill’s Beer Barn, Moses Jewelers and Snack-N-Pack in Butler, and Saxonburg Drug.