Heritage baseball star excited
by his future at Nebraska
Spencer Schwellenbach is focusing on his senior season for Saginaw Heritage’s baseball team.
But after he graduates, the Saginaw Heritage shortstop-pitcher will concentrate on a promising collegiate career at Nebraska, although he may be drafted in June by Major League Baseball organization.
The Hawks senior is in varsity his fourth season. As a freshman, he was second-team all-conference. He earned first-team all-conference and second-team all-state honors as a sophomore.
As a junior he was first team all-conference and all-state.
Schwellenbach batted .481 last season. As a pitcher, he was 6-3 with a 0.65 ERA. He had a no-hitter during the 2017 season.
Schwellenbach’s hitting excellence has hardly been a secret.
“I go out to it every day,” he said. “With my dad, after practice, we’ll go up to the Little League field and hit. We’re always hitting. Hitting every day is the key to seeing the ball and being able to take it both ways so when the game comes, you’ll be able to see well and hit it.”
Schwellenbach’s goal is to hit .more than .500 this season.
“The key is just swing at good pitches, I guess, and waiting for my pitch and not swinging at the first pitch like I did sometimes last year,” Schwellenbach said.
He has some lofty goals for his potential on the mound.
“I hope to not give up a run this season,” he said. “Obviously, that’s going to be tough. Last year, I was touching 95 with the fastball. I’m trying to get above that so it will be more powerful. I want to work my off-speed pretty well and keep them off stride.”
Schwellenbach is at shortstop when he’s not pitching.
“I have a good glove,” he said. “Last year, I only had three errors. I have good range, too.”
Schwellenbach decided to go with Nebraska after going to the campus as a sophomore.
“I went to a couple of practices of the baseball team and the coaches were helpful and let me come down and watch,” he said. “It felt like home to me. I could see myself going there. That summer, they came to every single game even like the mercy rule games. My relationship with the coaches helped me a lot to decide to go there. They won the Big Ten last year.
“It was Michigan State, Michigan and Nebraska at first. In the summer of my sophomore year, I started to pitch pretty well. (Other schools) started to contact me. But I had it in my mind I wanted to go to Nebraska. I told the others I wasn’t interested.”
Schwellenbach is excited over his senior season prospects.
“We could be really good, honestly,” he said; “We lost a lot of seniors. But all the guys there want to be there and want to play. A lot of guys are fighting for positions. Last year we lost in the quarterfinals so everyone wants to get back and try to win a state championship.”
Bob Andrezejewski is Heritage’s baseball coach, and will be with Schwellenbach for their fourth season together.
“No. 1, it’s been his determination to be a very good baseball player,” Andrezejewski said, “whether it’s as pitcher or infielder, he puts in a lot of time. He’s very determined to be successful. He has some major, big-time goals he’s trying to be successful on completing. It’s what he puts into his work ethic.”