Division II player showing DI talent as a member of the Miners

PALMER — Pete Christopher can’t believe Bret Schwartz is not a Division I player.

Schwartz has spent the entire summer in the leadoff spot, providing a constant spark for the Mat-Su offense. He’s started each of Mat-Su’s 20 Alaska Baseball League games at shortstop, anchoring the Miners’ middle infield.

And Schwartz is not just filling a position. He’s putting up some of the best numbers in the league.

“He’s the best all-around shortstop I’ve ever had,” said Christopher, the Miners’ general manager for the last eight seasons.

When he watches Schwartz play, Christopher simply can’t believe he’s not looking at a Division I player.

Schwartz may not be on a Division I roster, but he does play for one of the top Division II programs in the country, Central Missouri. Early in the season, Christopher told Schwartz that he couldn’t believe a Division I program didn’t grab him. Schwartz said it’s a nice comment, but he has no regrets about signing with a Division II program.

“I appreciate it. It was real nice of him,” Schwartz said Monday, one of consecutive days off for the Miners. “My school is Central Missouri and I take pride in that.”

And Central Missouri doesn’t boast your average DII program.

The Mules are annually among the best in the nation. This spring, UCM won its 15th region title and finished in a tie for fifth in the NCAA Division II Championships. The Mules were ranked fourth in the final NCAA-II poll.

“It’s a real big disappointment if you don’t go to the World Series every year,” Schwartz said.

The Mules have advanced to the DII postseason in 17 straight seasons and moved on to the DII Championships in a dozen of those 17 years. The team has also finished in the top five DII teams in five of the last 11 years.

Schwartz did have the potential to play at the Division I level after a stellar prep career at Blue Springs High School. Missouri and St. Louis University were, at a point, options.

“I thought I was going to Mizzou, that was my childhood dream growing up in Kansas City,” Schwartz said.

But before Schwartz committed to a school, Central Missouri appeared.

“They came in kind of late,” Schwartz said.

Coaches can start calling recruits July 1, and it wasn’t until mid-August when he was contacted by UCM. Once he began to build a relationship with the UCM coaches, head coach Tom Myers in particular, Schwartz was sold on the idea of playing for the Mules.

“It felt right,” Schwartz said. “I really feel fortunate to be able to play there. I’m surrounded by really good players, Division I transfers.”

As a prep player, Schwartz was named all-state twice. He led Blue Springs to a 4A Missouri state title as a junior and hit .444 as a senior. In his three years as a varsity starting shortstop, Schwartz committed only two errors.

Schwartz immediately found a spot in the UCM infield, and has started every game at shortstop since joining the Mules.

“They told me that early in the fall (of my freshman season) that I have the opportunity,” Schwartz said.

Last season, Schwartz was named the Mid America Intercollegiate Athletics Association Freshman of the Year after finishing the year batting .363 with 78 hits. As a sophomore, Schwartz hit .358, scored 70 runs and drove in 51 runs from the No. 2 spot in the Mule lineup.

Schwartz has been about as good with the Miners. As of Monday, Schwartz led the Miners in batting average (.372), hits (29) and runs (14). He’s second on the team with eight walks and seven stolen bases.

“He’s the whole package,” Christopher said. “He can run, hit and field.”

Christopher said Schwartz has the intangibles too.

“I love his makeup. He’s a baseball rat,” Christopher said. “He’s an in-your-face, get-it-done type of player.”

Christopher said he can tell a little bit about Schwartz just by doing the team’s laundry.

“He’s always got the dirtiest uniform,” Christopher said. “He’s diving for balls all the time.”

Schwartz has at least one hit in 17 of Mat-Su’s 20 games. Since going hitless in consecutive games against the Anchorage Glacier Pilots in mid-June, Schwartz has a hit in 12 of the last 13 games.

Of the last 13 games, his only hitless night came during the second leg of a doubleheader against the Peninsula Oilers, a game in which the Oilers’ Eddie Orozco no-hit the Miners.

Schwartz’s biggest night of the season came June 25 when he finished 6-for-6 during an 8-2 win over the Anchorage Bucs at Mulcahy Stadium in Anchorage.

“I didn’t even have a four-hit ball game this year at school,” Schwartz said. “It’s a fond memory.

Schwartz collected five singles and a double in the win. He also scored twice and drove in two runs.

“It just kept building,” Schwartz said. “It’s baseball, you can get a couple of bloops here and there. I could have easily hit six balls right on the screws and gone 0-6.”

Schwartz is one of three UCM players on the Mat-Su roster. Mules first baseman Nick DeBiasse and outfielder Tyler Ruch is on the squad. Schwartz said making the trip to Alaska with two of his college teammates has helped the transition from living close to home to spending the summer in the northern most state in the union.

“I’m a world away from home. (I go to school) 45 minutes from where I live,” Schwartz said. “It’s been a blast though.”

Schwartz said baseball will be part of his life after he’s done playing at UCM.

“I want to coach. If I get the opportunity to play at the next level, that’d be awesome,” Schwartz said. “I’ve always been around the game, and I don’t want to leave it.”

Contact Frontiersman sports editor Jeremiah Bartz at sports@frontiersman.com.