Austin Schell has helped Beckman (Tustin, Calif.) enjoy a 19-3 start. (Photo: Alissa Espinosa, Beckman baseball).
Baseball players dream of making it to the National Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, N.Y.
If Austin Schell ever makes it there, he may be able to thank an earlier trip to the city for a tournament for setting him on the right path.
“When I was 11 or 12, we were going to Cooperstown and my team didn’t have a catcher, so they put me back there,” Schell said. “I’ve been playing there ever since.”
Schell, a junior at Beckman (Tustin, Calif.), is hitting .365 with 23 RBI in 63 at-bats, going into Tuesday’s game with Irvine. He’s also been solid defensively, with a team-leading 100 putouts in 107 chances with no errors and seven baserunners thrown out stealing in 19 chances.
“He’s going to be a four-year starter,” Beckman coach Kevin Lavalle said. “He’s everything that you need in a high school catcher. He’s fantastic defensively and he hits fourth for us and hits good pitching. We let him call a lot of the games himself. He’s allowed to shake off our pitching coach.”
Schell’s approach at the plate and behind it is to keep it simple.
“As a hitter, I just try to beat the pitcher. I just want to hit the ball hard, have a good at-bat. Catching, what I like to do well is framing the ball well. Trying to make my pitcher look good.”
On Friday, he caught a no-hitter by Jack Wiese in a 3-0 defeat of University (Irvine).
“That was awesome,” Schell said. “I didn’t know it was a no-hitter until the sixth inning. I don’t get nervous because I trust my pitcher. I’ve been catching him for the past few years, and he’s progressed a lot, both as a pitcher and as a leader. I knew he was going to go out there and dominate.”
Schell doesn’t have all the attributes scouts look for. At 5-101/2 and 190 pounds, he’s a few inches short of the typical pro catcher and his lack of speed might limit him to catcher and a corner infield spot. However, his work ethic elevates his game.
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“He is a baseball equivalent of the gym rat,” Lavalle said. “If a pitcher needs to throw on the side on a weekend, even on a Sunday, they’ll will call Austin and he’ll go down and catch for them. As a high school coach, it’s so easy for me. One of the guys I don’t have to worry about is Austin Schell.”
Schell’s biggest fan is his grandmother, Pontip Schell, whom he lives with.
“When I first started playing baseball, she was really new to it and didn’t get it at all,” Schell said. “She supports me a lot and I really appreciate it. She comes to all of my games. Over the past couple of years, she’s really learned the game and knows as much as me now, probably.”
Schell said his dream school is Texas Christian, but he’s still waiting on his first offer.
“My goal is to play baseball for as long as I can,” Schell said. “Whatever opportunities I get, I will take.”
Beckman (Tustin, Calif.) catcher Austin Shell has only struck out five times in 63 at-bats. (Photo: Alissa Espinosa, Beckman baseball).