Schneider at top of the order
Oak Creek leadoff hitter named NOW co-Player of the Year
Oak Creek — After the 2008 summer baseball season, Oak Creek coach Scott Holler sat down with second baseman J.T. Schneider and had a serious conversation.
Schneider, then a junior, had just finished a season in which he manhandled the school's single-season record book, breaking marks in hits, runs, triples and stolen bases and placing in the top five in four other categories. He was a Wisconsin Baseball Coaches Association first-team all-state choice and earned similar distinctions in Greater Metro Conference and NOW All-Suburban voting.
"I said, 'Just so you know, you will not have (another) season like you did this year. Teams won't pitch to you,' " Holler said. "I told him that's one of the best offensive seasons I've ever seen. This year, he was patient … and he put up some pretty darn good numbers."
Honors follow success
Schneider's numbers were down slightly from 2008 - how could they not be? - but he still turned in a season that earned him both the GMC and NOW player of the year awards.
He shares the NOW award with Whitefish Bay's Kevin James, a ninth-round draft choice of the Tampa Bay Rays, and joins Tony Butler (2005) and Tony Harper (2003), both of whom were drafted by Major League teams, as Knights that won NOW's top honor.
"I'm proud to be in a good program like this and be among those names," Schneider said. "To be mentioned with them, you know you're in good company if you're in the same sentence as Tony Butler and Tony Harper."
A hitter's parade
Schneider's prep career equals or surpasses Butler's and Harper's in many ways. While Butler owns nearly every career school pitching record, Schneider's name peppers the hitting categories and sits atop six listings: games played (107), hits (140), runs (128), triples (17), stolen bases (57) and total bases (217).
"He's basically rewritten our record books," Holler said. "He's right up there in every category. He just improved every year."
This season, Schneider batted .426 in 30 regular season games with 39 runs scored, 18 extra-base hits, 22 RBIs, 15 stolen bases and an on-base percentage of .522. He earned WBCA first-team all-state recognition again, becoming the first Knight in school history to repeat that honor.
"I've always known what my potential is and how good I can be," Schneider said. "I just have fun and let the stats take care of themselves. I didn't add up the numbers; I tried to keep my mind off that. Every year I set a goal - my sophomore year I just wanted to be on the team - and every year, I exceeded my expectations."
Power and speed
Schneider played on the junior varsity as a freshman and was a starting varsity outfielder as a sophomore. He switched to second base as a junior, the year he compiled 22 extra-base hits (out of 60) and 27 stolen bases.
"You think he's a typical leadoff hitter that will get on base, but he can change a game with his power or speed," Holler said. "He literally thinks he can get a double every hit. He shoots out of the box and will take the extra base if the outfielder bobbles the ball.
"He's an extremely dangerous player and other than Tony Butler and Tony Harper, I don't think we've had a player with that many tools. He's as close to a five-tool player as we've had. He can flat out change a game in several different ways."
Sizing up college
Schneider will continue his career at Division II Concordia University in St. Paul, Minn., where he will be teammates with fellow recently graduated Knight, Bobby Widenski. His size - 5 feet, 9 inches and 165 pounds - does not jump off the charts, but his speed, work ethic and confidence should parlay success at the next level, just as it did when he was with Oak Creek.
"I'm glad to see he's gone," Franklin coach Jim Hughes said. "That's one of the best compliments you can get. He was a tough out for us in three seasons. He was exceptional and was really a challenge to play against and get him out. You're going to remember a kid like that."
20 in 20
J.T. Schneider is Oak Creek's 20th selection to the NOW All-Suburban Team in its 20-year history. He's also the sixth Knight to be named to the team more than once. The others are:
2005-06: Casey Lyman
2004-05: Tony Butler
2000-01, 2003: Tony Harper
1996-97: Dave Niedziejko
1995-96: Chris LePine
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