Lifelong infielder Colin Schmitke was all ready to move to the outfield during his junior season at Stevenson.
Well, almost ready. He had the wrong glove.
“I told him, ‘Colin, you can’t use an infielder’s glove in the outfield,'” Stevenson assistant JP Kulick said. “So I let him use my outfield glove from college. I said, ‘Treat this like it’s your own.’
“He used it for the entire spring season and kept it for summer.”
Schmitke treated it well.
“I loved that thing,” he said.
Schmitke’s position change was a success.
“We told him we wanted to play him in left field, and he fit right in,” Kulick said. “He didn’t complain. He didn’t sulk. He was like, ‘Perfect. I’ll play left field.'”
Schmitke’s move was one of many during his illustrious three-year varsity career at Stevenson, where he played every position but pitcher and catcher. Back in the infield for his senior season, Schmitke hit .371 with 10 doubles, two triples, a home run, 21 RBIs and a team-high 38 runs scored as the Patriots (30-10) reached a Class 4A supersectional.
The recent graduate will continue his career at Southeastern Community College in Iowa.
“Ever since I was a kid, (playing collegiately) is what I wanted to do,” he said. “I’ve always dreamed of it. I knew I had it in me, and I never doubted myself throughout my career.”
To get ready for college baseball, Schmitke has joined the Northern League, a summer league formerly known as the Midwest Collegiate League. It’s based in Northwest Indiana, and most players are older than Schmitke. He recently debuted for the Northwest Indiana Oilmen.
“There are only a couple of other guys on the team who are incoming freshmen like me,” he said. “I’m feeling good about myself right now.”
Schmitke wasn’t feeling so good early in his senior season, however. Stevenson’s coaching staff had moved him to third base, and during a trip to Tennessee, Schmitke made a throw across the diamond that instantly sent a jolt of pain up his right arm.
“He went down and grabbed his shoulder,” Kulick said. “I was like, ‘Oh, shoot. Not now. Not when he’s playing this well.'”
Schmitke had torn his subscapularis muscle and strained his rotator cuff. He couldn’t physically throw across the infield.
Schmitke was able to avoid surgery and continue to play every day despite the pain as Stevenson shifted him from third to second.
“It shows not just how physically strong Colin is, but how mentally strong he is,” Kulick said. “The way he was able to handle the adversity this year is another notch on his belt.”
At times, the pain was so excruciating that Schmitke couldn’t even make a throw from second base, so senior shortstop JR Nelson lent a helping arm.
“If a ball was hit up the middle, I’d flip it to JR, and he’d throw it to first,” Schmitke said. “I needed to take it easy.”
Nelson noted it was an unusual situation.
“We had to do whatever we could to make sure he was OK,” Nelson said. “It says a lot about the creativity of his game. It was funny.”
Nelson, who will play at Ohio, is one of Schmitke’s best friends and was impressed with his perseverance.
“Him willing to put his body on the line for the team shows what kind of person he is,” Nelson said. “That’s how you win, having ballplayers like Colin.”
Stevenson needed Schmitke’s bat in the lineup, and he was determined to play.
“I’m very confident in my fielding abilities,” he said. “Even with my arm not at 100%, I still felt I could help the team win.”
Schmitke trusts his potential in the sport.
“I want to take this as far as I can go,” he said. “I think I can play pro ball. I don’t get nervous on the baseball field. It’s where I want to be.”
Sam Brief is a freelance reporter for the News-Sun.
