Schmoll to visit Nationals
8/1/2005 8:00:00 AM | Baseball
Aug. 1, 2005
College Park, Md. - Steve Schmoll, Maryland's career strikeout leader, will make his first return to the area in a major league uniform when the Los Angeles Dodgers visit the Washington Nationals Tuesday night.
One of the Terps' all-time pitching greats, the right-hander will be available out of the bullpen for Dodgers manager Jim Tracy during the team's three-game set with the Nationals. Maryland Head Coach Terry Rupp is looking forward to the Rockville native's big-league homecoming.
"Steve has played a significant role for L.A. this season out of the bullpen and has pitched very well. I have seen him pitch on television and have yet to see him give a bad performance," Rupp said. "Certainly Steve has a big following here and his parents and friends will be out there supporting him."
According to Rupp, Schmoll has made attempts to scoop up any extra tickets that his teammates have for the series in order to pass them on to friends and family who wish to come out to RFK Stadium and watch him play.
A catcher-turned-pitcher, Schmoll put together one of the finest seasons ever by a Terp hurler in 2003 when he fanned 124 hitters in 87.2 innings of work. That year he tied for the Atlantic Coast Conference lead in strikeouts while setting the school's all-time mark with 272. His 12.8 strikeouts per nine innings were good for fourth in the country. He was named National Player of the Week by Collegiate Baseball and conference Pitcher of the Week twice en route to becoming Maryland's first All-ACC selection since Craig Munroe in 2000. An accomplished student as well as an athlete, Schmoll was honored as the school's Male Athlete of the Year.
Schmoll's road to the majors was not an easy one. Originally a catcher, he was cut from the Maryland squad as a freshman and played for the club team before making the varsity roster as a pitcher the following year. Under the guidance of pitching coach Ben Bachmann, Schmoll went from being just an extra arm out of the bullpen to one of the most dominant pitchers in the ACC.
"Everyone can learn from a kid like Steve. He was cut as a freshman but continued to persevere. He was one of the hardest working kids on the team and was always a model student-athlete, both athletically and academically," Rupp said.
This season with the Dodgers Schmoll is 2-0 with a 3.96 ERA and 15 strikeouts in 25 relief appearances. He has also converted his only save opportunity.
Schmoll made his major league debut April 6 in front of a national television audience on ESPN's Wednesday Night Baseball. He entered in the eighth inning against the San Francisco Giants and pitched one inning, retiring the side in order. Schmoll earned his first career victory April 8 at Arizona and recorded his first save the following day, also against the Diamondbacks.
After signing with Los Angeles in 2003 he spent parts of two years in the organization's minor league system, splitting time with Vero Beach (A) and Jacksonville (AA) in 2004. Schmoll excelled immediately, compiling a 1.81 ERA with 12 saves for the two teams. The Dodgers liked what they saw and offered him a spot on the 25-man roster at the beginning of this season.
The Dodgers currently sit in third place in the National League West, four games behind division leaders Arizona and San Diego. Tuesday and Thursday's games will air locally on MASN and Wednesday's game will be televised nationally on ESPN. First pitch for all three matchups is scheduled for 7:05 p.m. Tickets are still available and fans interested in attending should contact the Nationals box office at 202-675-NATS (6287).
