Archive: Sports

Lansing Varsity Baseball shortstop Alex Schutz signed Wednesday to play baseball at St. Bonaventure University.  In a ceremony in the Lansing High School gym, Schutz was joined by his coaches, parents, and his teammates as he signed his acceptance papers for the program.  With cameras flashing, Schutz signed, then put a St. Bonaventure sweatshirt on over his Lansing Bobcats shirt.

"The team there seemed like a bunch of hard working guys," he said.  "The Head Coach, Coach Sudbrook is a really good guy.  When I visited I felt like I fit right in.  When you go to the right college you just feel it, and I really felt it there.  It's a perfect fit for me.  When I visited there were some familiar faces.  I played against some of the other guys in 2012 when we won the State Championship."

Schutz plays short stop and pitches for the Lansing Bobcats and modestly says he thinks he is a good hitter.  But he isn't married to being shortstop -- he says he loves playing all positions.  Coach Stuart Dean says that is exactly what he did when the team won the State Championship two years ago.

"Alex has a great work ethic," Dean says. "We would not have won that State Championship without the numerous contributions that he made that year as a sophomore.  He was our utility player who started every game but rarely the same position twice in a row. He played all three outfield positions, second base, third base, he played all over, but his contribution to our batting order was key.

"We couldn't find the right fit for our number 4 hitter and at one point I slotted Alex there and from that point forward our lineup was solidified. He had a number of big hits throughout that season but the biggest hit was in the State semi-final game, a squeeze bunt that put us ahead for good."

While he'll have to wait for Spring for the baseball season, Schutz is going to States this weekend.  He's part of the winning varsity soccer team that qualified for States when they beat Fabius Pompey 4-0 at the Regionals in Liverpool last Saturday.  The Bobcats will battle Williamson in Middletown tomorrow (November 16) at 5pm at the NYSPHSAA Boys Soccer Championships - Class C, hoping to win their way to the finals on Sunday. 

Signing his acceptance of a baseball scholarship at St. Bonaventure UniversityWhile raring to give his all in soccer this weekend, Schutz is already looking ahead to baseball in the Spring.  He says he'd love to play hard and help bring the team to States again.

"I really want to go back again and bring another one back for Coach Dean," he says.  "That's what we're pushing for."

Originally from Indianapolis, Schutz moved to San Francisco with his family, where they lived for for ten years before moving to Lansing when Schutz was ten.  He had discovered baseball the year before, and was eager to sign up for the Lansing Baseball Program (LBP) right away.

"Coach Hopkins and my Dad started me off in LBP," he says.  "I started out as a youngster out there on Field F.  I'll never forget my first game.  I went to modified and JV and varsity with Coach Dean."

But making the varsity team wasn't easy.  He didn't make the team as a freshman, but didn't let that discourage him.

"That just made me work harder," he says.  "I'd never trained harder than in this last couple of years, and in tenth grade I finally made the team.  It's put me to where I am today."

That hard work and tenacity got him on the team, to States, and now to a baseball scholarship.

"He's a terrific young man and I feel fortunate to have had the opportunity to watch him grow and mature over the past three years, not only as an athlete but more importantly as a young man," Dean says.  "His parents have done a great job! It's always nice to see someone rewarded for their efforts, and in this case Alex is very worthy of this accomplishment. I couldn't be happier for him and his family."

Schutz celebrated another baseball win last month when his favorite team won the World Series against the Saint Louis Cardinals.

"Even though I'm a New Yorker I've always liked the Red Socks," he says.  "Dustin Pedroia, he's my guy.  I try to mimic everything he does.  He's my favorite player.  He's a hard worker -- him and Pete Rose, I try to model my game after them.  I love watching them play, and try to play like them."


St. Bonaventure University is in western New York, about an hour east of Jamestown.  Schutz says he wants to become an accountant and to work for the government, so he plans to study accounting and business at college.  And, of course, play baseball.  The 'Bonnies' are a member of the Atlantic 10 Conference, coached by Larry Sudbrook.  12 Major League Baseball Draft selections have come from St. Bonaventure.  Schutz says he'd love to be the next professional pick.

"That's what I wish for," he says.  "Every 11/11 I've been wishing that ever since I picked up a ball.  From the second I picked up that baseball I knew I loved it.  It is a way I could get out there and give everything I've got.  Once I started I just fell in love with it.  It was love at first sight."

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