LUMBERKINGS 4, BEES 3: Ninth Inning Is Too Late

By JOHN BOHNENKAMP

A ninth-inning rally couldn’t erase the eight innings of zeros for the Burlington Bees on the Community Field scoreboard.

The Bees put together a last-chance eruption for the second consecutive night, but couldn’t complete the comeback in a 4-3 loss to the Clinton LumberKings in Saturday’s rain-delayed Prospect League game.

It’s only the second time this season the Bees (6-4) lost two consecutive games, but it knocked them out of first place in the Northwest Division as the LumberKings (6-3) took over the top spot.

“We’ve got to be better at the plate,” said Bees manager Owen Oreskovich, whose team scored twice in the ninth and had the tying run at the plate in Friday’s 6-3 loss to Clinton. “We can’t (rally in the ninth inning) every game.”

The game started 30 minutes late, delayed by a late-afternoon rain, but Burlington’s bats didn’t wake up until after the sun went down. Clinton starting pitcher Chance Key (2-0) scattered five hits and struck out six in six innings, then reliever Dean Phillips struck out four over two innings.

The Bees got to reliever Camden Clewett in the ninth. They loaded the bases with one out, then got their first run when Nolan Grawe scored on a wild pitch. Clewett struck out Cole Yearsley for the second out, then Dash Denton singled to left field to score Ryan Skwarek and Dylan Shepherd. Caleb Seibers then hit a slow grounder to Clinton shortstop Drew Terpins, whose throw to first base beat Seibers by a half-step, and the game was over.

The Bees had an early chance to score off Key, with runners on second and third and two outs in the first inning, but second baseman Austin Mallee made a diving catch on Kila Teixiera’s line drive to end the inning.

Their next best chance came in the sixth, trailing 1-0. Keanu Spenser led off the inning with a double, but Key struck out Corey Boyette and Teixiera, and got Grawe to ground out to end the inning.

“Give (Key) credit, he’s pretty good, but that’s not an excuse for him to throw zeros for six innings,” Oreskovich said. “I mean, we had opportunities in the first couple of innings, and we just got to do a better job. It seems like we got away from our approach that we had in the first seven games, being aggressive in counts with runners in scoring position. We’re just not doing that right now, and we’ve got to get back to that.”

The Bees got five good innings by starter Kaelen Carlson (0-1), who allowed just four hits, struck out three, and didn’t allow a walk.

“He was filling up the strike zone,” Oreskovich said. “That’s what we ask of these guys, and making pitches when he has to, if he does walk a guy, he’s coming back and going after that next guy, and he’s not even worried about that anymore. Our pitchers have done more than enough for us to win those last two games. We’ve just got to be better at the plate.”

The Bees play a doubleheader at Quincy on Sunday.

“We’ve got to go down there, get a couple of wins, and get this thing going again,” Oreskovich said.

Photo: Burlington Bees second baseman Ryan Skwarek tags out Clinton’s Brytton Clements in the second inning. (Steve Cirinna/Burlington Bees)

LUMBERKINGS 6, BEES 3: Mistakes Bring End To Winning Streak

By JOHN BOHNENKAMP

There were some flaws hidden in the Burlington Bees’ five-game winning streak that proved costly in Friday’s 6-3 loss to the Clinton LumberKings.

They had overcome some of their mistakes — errors in the field and struggles at the plate early in the game — in their current run, but those mistakes played a big role in their loss in the Prospect League game at Community Field.

The Bees (6-3) had their lead in the Northwest Division cut to a half-game over the LumberKings (6-4). The two teams play again on Saturday night.

The Bees have been a come-from-behind team during the streak, but couldn’t produce a comeback in this game — they scored two runs but left two runners on base.

“We had errors again that led to runs,” Bees manager Owen Oreskovich said. “And it seems to be a continuing thing. Hopefully that’s going to clean up with the more games these guys are playing on these fields, especially being at home, but we just got to get better at that. We have to be making quality pitches when we have to. And if our offense was doing what they were doing in the ninth inning earlier, that takes a little pressure off the pitchers.

“That’s something I’ve been kind of telling these guys in the last couple days. You know, we’ve won some tight games, but, you know, we can make them not tight if we’re just better earlier in the game.”

The Bees had eight baserunners in the first four innings, but could only get one run, and that came on a throwing error.

“They see it, and obviously they know that we can’t give up and we won’t give up, so by getting those two in the ninth and having the tying run at the plate, we showed that,” Oreskovich said. “But you know, we can make it easier on ourselves by just being better earlier in the game.”

Clinton’s first run was unearned because of an error, and the Bees committed two more errors in the sixth inning, but neither of those baserunners scored. Burlington is tied for second in the league for most errors with 21.

The LumberKings took control of the game late. James Hackett hit a solo home run off Bees reliever Erick McKendry in the seventh for a 3-1 lead, then Jalen Martinez pounded a three-run home run off Kaimana Burgo in the eighth.

The Bees made the game close in the ninth. Cole Yearsley singled to lead off the inning and scored on Nolan Grawe’s double. Conor Fitzpatrick singled with one out to score Grawe, but Ryan Skwarek and Mason Schwalbach had back-to-back flyouts to end the game.

Will Schufrieder (1-1) was the winning pitcher. Zane Frese (0-1) took the loss.

NOTES: Schwalbach joined the Bees on Friday. He played for them in 2023, hitting .335 with seven home runs. “He texted me, said he had nowhere to play,” Oreskovich said. “That’s an offer I wasn’t going to pass up.” … Bees starting pitcher Danny Harris allowed just one unearned run over four innings, allowing four hits and striking out four.

Photo: Bees shortstop Nolan Grawe tags out Clinton’s Brett White as White attempted to steal second in the first inning. (Steve Cirinna/Burlington Bees)

BEES 6, DOGGY PADDLERS 5: Bushnell’s Parting Gift Is The Winning Hit

By JOHN BOHNENKAMP

Griffen Bushnell plans to be back with the Burlington Bees later this season.

His goodbye-for-now single in the 10th inning of Thursday’s Prospect League game against the Quincy Doggy Paddlers at Community Field was quite the parting gift.

Bushnell’s hit through the drawn-in infield brought in Caleb Seibers with the winning run, giving the Bees a 6-5 win, their fifth consecutive victory.

Bushnell, a junior at Mount Mercy University, was with the Bees on a temporary basis to start the season, and this was his last game before he goes home to Eugene, Oregon.

“What’s next for me is I’m going to head home, get some training in and go to a couple family weddings, and then hope to be back here later in the season,” Bushnell said.

“I know he loves it here,” said Bees manager Owen Oreskovich, who also coached Bushnell at Mount Mercy. “The guys love him. They want him back. They were telling me, ‘Griff’s got to come back.’”

But there was still a game to play for Bushnell, and he provided the big hit at the end.

Seibers started the inning on second base with the league’s extra-inning rule, and moved to third base on Nolan Grawe’s fly out to center field.

Quincy’s infield was drawn in to try to prevent the run from scoring, but Bushnell’s hard grounder went through the hole on the left side to bring in Seibers.

“I just wanted to stay simple up there,” Bushnell said. “I know it’s bigger than me, bigger than this game.

“It means everything to me. God is good, that’s all I can say. I prayed before I went up there, and just to be able to go out and have the opportunity to compete for these guys is just a big blessing.”

***Burlington Bees catcher Griffen Bushnell drives in the winning run in the 10th inning. (Steve Cirinna/Burlington Bees)***

“I’m so proud of Griff,” Oreskovich said. “All the work he put in this year, all credit to that kid. He works so hard, and he deserves that right there.”

The Bees (6-2) found themselves in position to win after reliever Braeden Sunken (2-0) kept the Doggy Paddlers from scoring in the ninth and 10th innings. Sunken struck out Skylar Graham to end the ninth inning with a runner on third, then got three ground-ball outs in the 10th.

“That kid is incredible,” Oreskovich said of Sunken. “He’s a special guy to have on this team. And he’s just a special baseball player.He’s pretty talented too, so that also helps. Hats off to him — every time he’s gone out there, he’s done his job.”

The Bees led 1-0 after five innings behind starting pitcher Reese Ellison, who didn’t allow a hit until the fifth inning. Quincy tied the game in the sixth, then took the lead with three runs in the seventh, but Burlington scored four runs in the bottom of the inning for a 5-4 lead. The Doggy Paddlers tied the game in the eighth on an unearned run.

“These guys fight — I’ve been saying it since I got here,” Oreskovich said. “Got some guys from winning schools — they just know how to win. All credit to those guys. They’re the ones who put in the work and go out there and play every day.”

Top photo: Griffen Bushnell (left) and Braeden Sunken celebrate the Bees’ 6-5 win over Quincy on Thursday night. (Steve Cirinna/Burlington Bees)

Prospect League Honors Bees’ Schulte

By JOHN BOHNENKAMP

Kooper Schulte opened the Prospect League season by hitting for the cycle.

That started a seven-game run for the Burlington Bees’ shortstop that earned him the Prospect League’s hitter of the week award on Tuesday.

Schulte, who opened the season with a 5 for 5 game against the Quincy Doggy Paddlers last Tuesday, hit .387 with a league-leading 12 hits in 31 at bats. He scored nine runs and drove in 12, hitting four doubles a triple, and two home runs. He finished the week with a 1.191 OPS.

It is the second Prospect League season for Schulte, who grew up in nearby New London, Iowa. Schulte, who played at the University of Iowa this season, hit .373 for the Bees in 2023.

Jackson’s Cooper Casteel was named the league’s pitcher of the week.

Photo: Burlington Bees shortstop Kooper Schulte watches his home run in the season opener. (Steve Cirinna/Burlington Bees)

BEES 8, CORNBELTERS 7: Two-Out Magic Helps Extend Winning Streak

By JOHN BOHNENKAMP

Every run the Burlington Bees scored in Monday’s 8-7 win over the Normal CornBelters came with two outs.

“And that’s how you win games,” manager Owen Oreskovich said. “It’s just plain and simple.”

“That says we don’t quit with two outs,” said designated hitter Dash Denton, whose ninth-inning single brought home pinch-runner Noah Company with the winning run.

The Bees (5-2) extended their winning streak to four games by rallying from an early 4-0 deficit with the timely hits and a bullpen that only allowed one unearned run from the third through eighth innings.

“We don’t ever get down on ourselves,” Denton said. “Even though we’re down in the game, we’ve got to keep going, keep scoring.”

The CornBelters (3-4) tied the game in the top of the ninth with their own two-out magic when Caleb Royer hit a two-run home run off Bees reliever Parker Lewin (1-0). The home run, Denton said, didn’t affect the Bees’ mood.

“We knew we were going to win in the bottom of the ninth, no doubt about it,” he said.

Keanu Spenser led off the inning with a walk and was replaced at first by Company, who immediately stole second base. Corey Boyette was called out on strikes, then Abrahan Rios was intentionally walked. Griffin Bushnell struck out for the second out, bringing Denton up. Denton then singled past third baseman Nolan McCrossin, and Company came home with the winning run.

The Bees slowly carved away at the early Normal lead.

Kooper Schulte hit a two-run home run in the third inning, then Spenser got the Bees to within 4-3 on an RBI single in the fifth.

Boyette then put Burlington in front with a two-run single in the seventh, followed by Rios’ RBI single.

Normal cut the lead to 6-5 in the eighth on an unearned run. The Bees got that run back in the bottom of the inning on Caleb Seibers’ run-scoring single.

Bees starter Alex Logan gave up four runs in the first two innings, but relievers Jack Duncan and Kaimana Burgo kept the CornBelters from adding on to their lead. Duncan pitched two scoreless innings despite allowing six baserunners, including four who were hit by pitches. Burgo scattered three hits over three scoreless innings while striking out four.

Shawn Scott overcame wildness to the first two hitters he faced to get out of the eighth with only the unearned run. Lewin was able to get out of the ninth inning after the home run, getting a lineout from Shea Zbrosek with runners on first and second to end the inning.

“Dunc didn’t have his good stuff but he got us two zeros,” Oreskovich said. “Kaimana did a fantastic job — three zeros, filled up the (strike) zone. Shawn got out of his inning. (Lewin) made good pitches except the one he left a little too far out over the plate.

“This was really a team win.”

Two-out magic makes a big difference.

“Never gave up,” Oreskovich said. “It would have been easy to give up, especially after that second inning. But just that speaks words about this group we got here, and you know, it might be something special.”

Top photo: Burlington Bees players congratulate Dash Denton (8) after his game-winning hit on Monday. (Steve Cirinna/Burlington Bees)

THE MONDAY HIVE: Bees, And Other Prospect League Teams, Deal With NIL

By JOHN BOHNENKAMP

Prospect League David Brauer knew that it was only a matter of time that in a summer league of college baseball players, the subject of letting players take advantage of their name, image and likeness was going to be something that would be an issue.

“You can’t bury your head in the sand about it,” Brauer said in a recent video conference with the league’s media. “It’s here. It’s here to stay, and it’s a vital part of college athletics.”

It’s why several teams in the league, including the Burlington Bees, are doing NIL events to help players offset costs to play in the league. Players pay a $600 fee to play a full season, $350 to play in the second half.

“That’s how we’re selling it,” said Bees director of baseball operations Ted Gutman. “That’s how we’re presenting it to them. We’re saying you will get NIL money. We’re going to start out small. You’ll get a little bit this year. Everybody will get something. It might not be much. Hopefully next year, it’s more something.”

“When we talk about NIL, we’re not talking about … it’s not the million-dollar recruitment of a quarterback, by any stretch,” Brauer said. “It’s not being out recruiting a player from one team to another.”

Gutman has approached area businesses about having Bees players in for appearances — three players, for example, went to the Black Water Mini Golf and Mississippi Moon Ice Cream Parlor in downtown Burlington the night before the Bees’ home opener last week. The Bees are also planning a baseball card set, with a percentage of the sales going to the players, and are looking at other merchandising ideas in the future.

“It’s a starting point,” Gutman said. “So much of it is timing, because our season is so short (58 games in two months). We’ve got 29 games to sell whatever we’re going to sell, or we’ve got 60 days or a little more to move them around, to do appearances, and half of those days they’re going to be gone.”

The Prospect League also partners with NOCAP Sports, a college sports marketing company that can help with questions about what kind of NIL ideas are allowed, or not allowed, by NCAA rules.

“Our purpose behind that was two-fold,” Brauer said. “One, to provide guardrails for our teams that want to get involved in NIL, so that they’re doing it correctly and not going to jeopardize any eligibility situations. And then there’s the educational standpoint. We run the gamut of backgrounds for our players — the SEC players and Big Ten players, for example, they’ve got all these resources on campus. So they’re getting the guidance they know how to build their brand and utilize it to their advantage. But some of the smaller-school players, maybe they’re just starting out and this gives them some education and some opportunities to do so.”

“Any time I have a question about something, I call them,” Gutman said. “I’ve got to be careful. They’ve told me what I can and can’t do when I solicit opportunities. They’ve been very helpful.”

Brauer said promotional appearances can be beneficial to the teams as well.

“I think it ultimately just forms a bond with the community, having the players out and about,” Brauer said. “They’re visible. Kids look up to them and want to go get autographs and get pictures and that type of thing. And for the player, getting a little pocket money in the summer, that’s a big thing for a college kid. And so the more we can do and make it more appealing to come to our league, we want to do those things. We want to embrace NIL and utilize it as much as possible.”

“We have to try,” Gutman said. “It doesn’t hurt to do this. It helps us stay competitive in the league with trying to find players.”

Photo: Bees pitcher Danny Harris signs an autograph for a fan after an on-field contest at last Tuesday’s season opener. (Steve Cirinna/Burlington Bees)

BEES 8, LUCKY HORSESHOES 5: Bringing The Momentum Home

By JOHN BOHNENKAMP

It wasn’t the cleanest of games, but a win coming off a good first week of the season?

Yeah, Burlington Bees manager Owen Oreskovich will take that.

The Bees defeated the Springfield Lucky Horseshoes 8-5 in Sunday’s Prospect League game at Community Field to extend their winning streak to three games.

Burlington took advantage of Springfield’s pitching struggles to build an early 6-1 lead, but the Lucky Horseshoes made the game close because of three unearned runs from the Bees.

“It wasn’t pretty,” Oreskovich said. “And I think all of the guys agree with me. We’ve got to play clean baseball. Three errors led to runs every time, and we’ve got to clean that up.”

Still, Oreskovich, who went through the Bees’ 6-23 first half last season, knew his team had a good week.

“Absolutely. I’m not complaining about a win, by any means,” he said. “We’re off to a good start, and we’ve got to keep it rolling. This group seems like they’ve got a great chance to do that. And you know, we’re still missing a few key guys as well that are going to help us win some games. So that’s exciting as well.”

The Bees opened the season with a win at home at Quincy, then after two losses at Normal on Wednesday and Thursday bounced back with two wins at Clinton on Friday and Saturday.

Coming home and keeping that streak going, second baseman Ryan Skwarek said, was important.

“Huge,” he said. “Coming back after those two losses, getting the wins (at Clinton) and then coming home and getting a win, it’s big for us.”

Every Bees hitter reached base — Skwarek got on base four times and scored twice.

“We’re coming together as a team,” Skwarek said. “We’re still getting to know each other, but we’re just getting comfortable with one another, and we’re hunting pitches early and getting on base when we need to.”

The Bees got four runs in the first inning off Springfield starter Joey Woods (0-1), who left the game without recording an out. Burlington had just two hits in the inning — a leadoff single from Connor Kave and a run-scoring single by Corey Boyette — and benefitted from two hit batters, two wild pitches and a walk.

***Bees starting pitcher Jackson Rodgers struck out six in five innings. (Steve Cirinna/Burlington Bees)***

Burlington added single runs over the next four innings to help starting pitcher Jackson Rodgers (1-0) and three relievers.

Rodgers, the opening night starter for the Bees, struck out six and didn’t walk anyone in five innings to get the win.

Sunday’s game started a week in which the Bees play six games at home.

“It’s a good start, like I said,” Oreskovich said. “We just need to keep it rolling.”

NOTES: Kave extended his hitting streak to five games. Boyette, Skwarek, Caleb Seibers Conor Fitzpatrick and Keanu Spenser are on three-game hitting streaks. … The Bees play host to Normal in a noon game on Monday.

Box score

Top photo: Bees first baseman Keanu Spenser digs out a throw for the out on Springfield’s Jack Swaney.

BEES 12, QUINCY 5: Schulte’s Cycle Leads Opening Rout

By JOHN BOHNENKAMP

Kooper Schulte’s first batting practice session with the Burlington Bees on Tuesday was, by his description, “pretty, pretty bad.”

His first game of the Prospect League season was a lot better.

Schulte hit for the cycle, going 5-for-5 with five runs batted in the Bees’ 12-5 win over the Quincy Doggy Paddlers in the season opener at Community Field.

“It was the first time I’d hit with a wood bat in almost a year,” Schulte said of his afternoon struggles.

Schulte opened the game with a first-inning triple. He hit a two-run home run to left field in the third inning, singled home a run in the fourth, drove in two more runs with a bloop single in the fifth, then opened the seventh inning with a double.

Schulte said he wasn’t sure about the significance of what had happened when he heard the cheers after the double into the right-center field gap that gave him the cycle.

“I asked O (Bees manager Owen Oreskovich) what was going on, and he said, ‘You just hit for the cycle,’” Schulte said, smiling.

“I knew what he needed to do, but I wasn’t going to bring it up,” Oreskovich said, laughing.

Oreskovich wasn’t sure early Monday if he was going to have Schulte for the opener. Schulte, who is from nearby New London, just finished the season with Iowa — the Hawkeyes lost to UCLA in Saturday’s Big Ten Tournament semifinals — but he sent Oreskovich a text message in the afternoon that he was going to be available.

“We had exit meetings with the coaches this morning, got back to New London by 11 o’clock this morning, and I was on my way here by noon,” Schulte said.

“I’m always glad to have that kid in the lineup,” Oreskovich said.

Schulte, who hit .268 for Iowa this season, played for the Bees in 2023, hitting .373 before a hand injury ended his season. So Oreskovich knows what he has in the shortstop.

“I think it’s the way he’s brought up, you know, especially with his father being who he is (Southeastern Community College coach Justin Schulte), one of the most winningest coaches out there right now,” Oreskovich said. “But I think it’s just the way he’s brought up with his work ethic — he’s one of the hardest workers ever. And, you know, he hates losing and he hates failing.”

***Burlington’s Keanu Spenser rounds the bases after his fourth-inning home run (Steve Cirinna/Burlington Bees)***

The Bees broke open a 3-3 game with a four-run fourth inning capped by Keanu Spenser’s home run to deep left field. They added two runs in the fifth, two in the sixth and one in the seventh.

Everyone in the Bees’ lineup reached base. Burlington had 14 hits.

“It was awesome to see that,” Oreskovich said. “And we’ve got some guys still to come in here who can do some damage.”

The Bees went 6-23 in the first half last season, and the talk in the clubhouse before the game was about starting strong.

“These guys want to win,” Oreskovich said.

“It feels good to start out 1-0,” Schulte said. “There’s a lot of energy in here, a lot of good vibes, with a win like this.”

Parker Lewin, the second of four Bees pitchers, got the win, pitching 2 ⅓ scoreless innings.

The Bees go on the road to end the week with four games — Wednesday and Thursday at Normal and Friday and Saturday at Clinton.

“We’ve got to stay locked in,” Oreskovich said. “Going on the road is kind of always tough, especially when you’re on the road for multiple days in a row. But this is a different group, so I think they’re up for the challenge, and I don’t think it’s going to matter to them too much.”

Top photo: Bees shortstop Kooper Schulte slides into third on his first-inning triple. (Steve Cirinna/Burlington Bees)

Familiar Faces, And Plenty Of Arms, As Bees Open Season

By JOHN BOHNENKAMP

Owen Oreskovich is in his fourth season of managing the Burlington Bees, and he’s learned that the most important thing to get through the 58-game schedule is pitching.

Lots of pitching.

The Bees open the Prospect League season on Tuesday night against the Quincy Doggy Paddlers with a roster that includes 20 pitchers. Oreskovich also has three two-way players who played the field and pitched this season with their college teams.

“Mostly, I was just recruiting pitching for a month and a half,” Oreskovich said Monday. “Because I know how it can get during the season, so that was a main focus for me. Just having a bunch of guys we can run out there if we have to.”

The depth, Oreskovich said, will help him challenge his pitchers.

“We’ve got a lot of guys, so it can be a ‘next guy up,’ but I hope we don’t run into that problem,” he said. “Throwing strikes is number one, and that’s what we want. So it will be a good challenge for them.

“Finding guys who throw a little harder was a main thing, as was finding guys that can fill the strike zone up. I have learned that throughout the years — pitching matters in this league. You can score as many runs as you want, but if you give up more, you’re gonna lose 100% of the time. So, yeah, finding a lot of pitchers was a main goal of mine.”

The roster consists of several players who have been with the Bees before. That, too, is going to be important, Oreskovich said.

“Those guys know how it is and how it goes, and how I like to do things,” Oreskovich said. “And then there’s the comfort factor of them having been in this league. They’ve been to Community Field, they love it here. They think this atmosphere is incredible. Having guys back is huge because I already know what I’m getting. It’s huge knowing that I’ve seen a lot of these guys or they have played for me.”

Oreskovich tapped into a couple of familiar pipelines. Four players played at Southeastern Community College in West Burlington. Four other players have come from Hawaii Pacific, a program that has been sending several players to the Bees in their five years in the summer league.

“The Southeastern kids, they’ve played for Coach (Justin) Schulte, and he does a great job there — those guys are winners,” Oreskovich said. “(Hawaii Pacific coach) Dane (Fujinaka) is an awesome dude, and he knows how it is here, so I like taking their guys. I’ll take his guys any day of the week, and then, you know, it’s worked out for them as well. When they go back to school, they tend to do well.”

The Bees went 17-39 last season, 6-23 in the first half. It’s a start Oreskovich doesn’t want to happen again.

“We’re not going to have a full roster for the first week, week and a half,” Oreskovich said. “Those first couple days are just going to be kind of seeing what we’ve got right and who we can plug where. It’s going to be huge to get off to a hot start. Winning is going to be emphasized in everything we do.”

Breaking down the roster:

Pitchers (20)

Kaimana Burgo (Hawaii Pacific) — 0-0 with a 15.75 ERA in eight games this season.

Colten Clarahan (Southeastern CC) — 0-1 with an 8.68 ERA.

Kaelen Clarkson (SUNY-Plattsburgh) — 2-4 with a 4.71 ERA in nine starts

Mitchell Cox (Crown College) — 0-2 with a 3.72 ERA … 33 strikeouts in 36 ⅓ innings

Jack Duncan (Western Illinois) — Pitched in one game this season, allowing two runs. … Had five saves with a 5.47 ERA with the Bees last season.

Reese Ellison (Bethel) — 0-6 with a 7.39 ERA. Struck out 23 in 28 innings. … Can also play outfield.

Zane Frese (Winthrop) — 0-0 with an 8.44 ERA. Struck out 6 in 5 ⅓ innings.

Raul Gil (Highland CC) — 1-1 with a 9.72 ERA. Struck out 24 in 16 ⅔ innings

Danny Harris (Mesa CC) — 2-4 with a 3.93 ERA and 2 saves.

Morgan Jennings (Hawaii Pacific) — Did not play this season.

Zach Leuschen (Mt. Marty) — 3-0 with 16.00 ERA in nine appearances.

Parker Lewin (Minnesota) — Did not play this season.

Alex Logan (John Wood CC — 0-1 with a 7.62 ERA and 1 save

Ethan McDonald (Eureka) — 4-3 with a 5.92 ERA. … Had two complete games in nine starts.

Erick McKendry (Allan Hancock College) — Made one appearance, with two strikeouts in one inning.

Marshall Robinson (Faulkner) — 11.81 ERA in six appearances.

Jackson Rodgers (Western Illinois) — 3-2 with a 9.85 ERA this season.

Shawn Scott (Austin Peay) — Struck out the only hitter he faced in one appearance.

Kyle Smith (University of Health and Pharmacy) — 2-2 with an 8.17 ERA in 12 appearances, including seven starts.

Braeden Sunken (Maryville) — 0-2 with a 7.43 ERA and 1 save. Struck out 17 in 13 ⅓ innings

Jacob Walker (Mt. Marty) — 2-3 with a 4.94 ERA and 2 saves. … Struck out 43 in 47 ⅓ innings

Catchers (3)

Griffen Bushnell (Mount Mercy) — Hit .455 with 2 home runs and 9 RBIs

Abrahan Rios (Southeastern CC) — Hit .294 with 6 home runs and 34 RBIs

Danny Rollins (Murray State) — Hit .250 in two games

Infielders (5)

Dash Denton (Rock Valley College) — Hit .231 with one home run and 19 RBIs

Kooper Schulte (Iowa) — Hit .273 with 3 home runs and 25 RBIs. … Hit .373 with the Bees in 2023.

Caleb Selbers (Olney Central) — Hit. 328 with 5 home runs and 39 RBIs

Keanu Spenser (Hawaii Pacific) — Hit .353 in six games with the Bees last season. … Hit .091 in nine games this season.

Kila Teixeira (Hawaii Pacific) — Did not play this season.

***Corey Boyette is back for his third season with the Bees. (Steve Cirinna/Burlington Bees)***

Outfielders (6)

Corey Boyette (Lipscomb) — Hit .182 in 17 games this season. … Hit .286 with the Bees in 2023 and .295 last season.

Jace Figuereo (Southeastern CC) — Batted .326 with 9 RBIs this season … Hit .238 with 11 RBIs with the Bees last season.

Conor Fitzpatrick (Eureka) — Hit .356 with 22 RBIs

Connor Kave (Harper College) — Hit .333 with 1 home run and 18 RBIs. Stole 21 bases.

Caleb Klein (Southeastern CC) — Hit .333 with 7 home runs and 61 RBIs

Cole Yearsley (Winthrop) — Hit .250 with 2 home runs at 28 RBIs

Utility (3)

Noah Company (Eureka) — Hit .267 with 2 HRs and 14 RBIs … 0-3 with a 7.80 ERA

Ethan McDonald (Eureka) — Hit .139 with 6 RBIs. … 4-3 with a 5.92 ERA, with 48 strikeouts in 48 ⅔ innings.

Ryan Skwarek (McHenry) — Hit .412 with 58 RBIs … 2-2 with a 1.59 ERA, with 20 strikeouts in 17 innings.

Top photo: Keanu Spenser steals second base in a game last season. (Steve Cirinna/Burlington Bees)

Schulte Brings Experience, Familiarity To Hawkeyes

By JOHN BOHNENKAMP

IOWA CITY — Kooper Schulte was described as “a true son of a coach” by his new college coach, and that is the perfect description.

Schulte will be the starting shortstop for Iowa when the Hawkeyes open the season with a three-game series at South Florida, starting Friday.

It is Schulte’s first season with the Hawkeyes after two seasons of junior-college baseball, and it’s a chance for him to play in the same program where his father, Justin, was a player before becoming one of the top junior-college coaches in the nation.

It is that bloodline that coach Rick Heller can see in Schulte.

“Really good baseball player, that’s the best way to sum it up,” Heller said at the Hawkeyes’ media day earlier this week. “He’s got a lot of intangibles to his game. Justin is a tough guy, he brings a lot of toughness to his teams, and Koop has that. He’s just a steady Eddie in how he goes about his business.”

The chance to play at Iowa was something Schulte couldn’t pass up.

“My dad played here, and obviously it’s a great program, so it’s pretty special for me to be a part of it,” Schulte said. “Coming from a coach like him, he asks a lot of questions about the program, what do we do and stuff. But at the end of the day, he just tells me to trust the coaches, do what they say, and just work hard.”

Schulte is coming off a season at Southeastern Community College, where he played for his father. He hit .317 with eight home runs and 45 runs batted in, becoming a first-team all-region selection while leading the Blackhawks to the NJCAA World Series.

Schulte, a graduate of New London (Iowa) High School, played at Central Arizona Community College in 2023. He played that summer for the Burlington Bees in the Prospect League, hitting .373 in 19 games before suffering a season-ending hand injury.

He played last summer for the Waterloo Bucks in the Northwoods League. He hit just .170, but appreciated what he gained from a higher competition level of summer baseball.

“I didn’t play the best baseball, but it was a good experience playing with a lot of other guys from Division I schools,” Schulte said. “So I got that little experience before coming here.”

Schulte spent Iowa’s fall workouts on different parts of his game.

“I worked a lot on my hitting, really honed in on my mechanics, really tried to feel myself create more power, use my strength more in my swing,” Schulte said.

“I think that there’s a chance that he may surprise some people and provide maybe a little more offense than advertised,” Heller said. “I think he’s done some stuff in his swing with Marty Sutherland, our hitting coach, and he’s strong right now. The ball’s jumping off his bat. And so we’re hoping we can get some offense out of Koop as well.”

Heller said Schulte has been impressive with his defense.

“Koop is maybe the perfect guy to come in after Michael Seegers,” Heller said. “Michael was down there a long time, and was a big-time defender for us. I think Koop can step in and do a really solid job defensively.”

“He’s always been a really good defender in my eyes, and just like his dad, he’s always been super competitive,” said Iowa teammate Caleb Wulf, who played with Schulte at SCC and with the Bees. “He always knows how to win and how to put himself in the best position to succeed or do the job we need him to do.”

Schulte will return to the Bees this summer, but before that he will get a chance in the starting lineup of a program that is all too familiar to him.

“Coach Heller really wants me to just be that defensive player that I know I can be,” Schulte said. “So I take pride in my defense, make all the plays and if I hit, that’s a plus. But I’m really glad I’m here and getting this opportunity.”

Photo: Kooper Schulte fields a ground ball for the Burlington Bees in the 2023 season. (Steve Cirinna/Burlington Bees)