His physical strength at the plate, though, has been catching opponents off guard for awhile.
“He may not be very big in stature, but he’s one of the strongest kids we have on the team as far as bench press and that kind of stuff,” Salado baseball coach Melvin Bates said.
Schiller has batted almost exclusively in the No. 4 spot in the order since his freshman season, and his power numbers have skyrocketed this season.
After hitting four home runs as a sophomore and three as a junior, Schiller has launched a team-leading 10 homers this season to go with a .442 average, 41 runs scored and a whopping 47 runs batted in for the 25-5, fourth-ranked Eagles.
When asked to explain the reason for his sudden power upgrade, Schiller offered no complicated explanation.
“Just luck, I guess. I’m just trying to get a base hit,” said Schiller, whose Eagles will battle District 25-2A rival Troy (18-9) in a Class 2A Region IV quarterfinal playoff at 7:30 p.m. Friday at Belton’s Tiger Field.
“It’s been a combination of maturity both mentally and physically,” Bates said. “As a freshman playing on varsity, they’re outmatched a lot of times. But he’s strong.”
Schiller has been ripping base hits for four straight years.
Ever since an injury in which he had a screw put in his left arm ended his football career early in his freshman season, Schiller has turned his offseason attention toward lifting weights and preparing for baseball season.
He and senior classmates Matt Fritsch, Kevin Jackson and Johnny Nix made immediate impacts as freshmen and have played integral roles in guiding Salado to the district championship this season and the regional quarterfinals for the third straight year.
“He could hit the ball back then,” Bates said about Schiller batting third, fourth or fifth as a freshman. “Several of these guys - Fritsch, Jackson, Nix and Schiller - have all started since they got to high school. Just how they mixed in with what we had, they had more power than our seniors at that time.”
Schiller isn’t the only Salado player enjoying a terrific offensive season.
The Eagles have bashed 30 homers, and Jackson, Seth Collins, Fritsch and Nix are batting .400 or better on a squad that averages 10.2 runs per game.
Salado’s superior balance on offense hasn’t allowed opponents to pitch around Schiller, either. And more often than not this season, the run-producing Schiller has made them pay.
“I pretty much know they’re going to get on,” said Schiller, who is considering walking on at Tarleton State. “Most of the seniors stepped up this year. Coach Bates said he wanted us all to bat .450. He just wanted us to step up and help the team out and so far we’ve been doing that."
cmeister@temple-telegram.com
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