Rod Schmidt joins Northwest Missouri State University as a freshman for the 2012-2013 academic year. Rod is a right-handed pitcher standing 6'00" and weighs 180 pounds. Rod continues the California pipeline of baseball talent to Northwest Missouri State after graduating from Edison High School in or near Costa Mesa, California. A google check indicates Huntington Beach, California is nearby (home of fellow Bearcats JJ Baccari and Aaron Amaral).
In 2007, Rod played at the Cooperstown Dreams Park during National Association of Tournament Champions in Cooperstown, New York as a member of the Blue Wave (California). He finished with a .680 batting average, 5 home runs including back-to-back 3-run home runs and 21 RBIs.
According to the Dailypilot.com newspaper, a young Rod was quoted as saying:
“I don’t have any video games,” Schmidt said. “I think it’s personally a waste of time. I’d rather be doing something healthy in life. With video games, you get obsessed and then you can’t focus on baseball and school.”
“[Rod’s] a great kid,” Stokes said. “He’s hard working, doesn’t quit, is focused and he’s a great listener. I see him getting a scholarship to [an NCCA Division I] school and then maybe getting drafted [in Major League Baseball]. He is growing each year.”
“My coach taught me a slider which is kind of like his and I’m still developing that, but it’s so much fun because it breaks right off. It’s real nice,” Schmidt said. “I can’t even try to do any of the leg lift stuff he does. That’s just crazy.”
Rod's favorite MLB player isn’t home run king Barry Bonds, New York All-Star Alex Rodriguez, National League MVP Ryan Howard, or even World Series champion Albert Pujols. It’s David Eckstein, the scrappy former Angel who won a World Series with the St. Louis Cardinals last season. Eckstein is famous for overachieving as an undersized shortstop with a super-sized heart.
“He wasn’t the most gifted player, but he still tried as hard as he could and did everything he possibly could to get on the team,” Schmidt said. “When he is out there, he hustles everywhere and is a good role model. It would be nice to be like him.”
“It’s like why else be out there?” Schmidt said. “If you don’t want to be out there and are dogging it, why even come out? If you’re not going to give it 100%, it’s not worth it.”
At Edison High School, Rod was named team MVP of his freshman class. During Rod's junior year in 2011, ESPN Rise, Baseball America, and Max Preps all ranked Edison as the top ranked high school baseball team in the United States. That season, Edison finished 25-4 and claimed a Sunset League Championship. Also in 2011, Rod was selected to participate in the 18-under US National Team at the Goodwill Series in Australia.
Coach Loe comment: “Rod has proven that he can compete with some of the best competition nationally at the High School level. He has a great feel for pitching with an advanced approach to the game.”
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