Kooper Schulte is not one to shy away from dreaming big.
Schulte sets the bar high for himself, keeping very high standards.
What sets Schulte apart from many other big dreamers is he is willing to put in the hard work to make his dreams become reality. Schulte is not afraid to go the extra mile to keep him on the right path to success.
Schulte, a graduate of New London High School and Southeastern Community College, is the starting third baseman for the University of Iowa’s baseball team this spring.
Schulte, a natural shortstop, recently was named Big Ten Conference Player of the Week.
For Schulte, it is all part of embracing the grind and enjoying the process.
“It’s awesome playing for the only Division I team in Iowa. It means a lot playing at Iowa. We expect to win,” said Schulte, the son of Justin and Tara Schulte.
After a slow start to his first season with the Hawkeyes, Schulte has been on a tear. For the week ending April 7, Schulte hit .600 with a .692 on-base percentage and a 1.200 slugging percentage. He drove in seven runs and scored five runs, helping Iowa go 3-1 on the week. He hit .571 with runners on base and successfully advanced runners in seven of nine chances. With runners on third base and less than two outs, Schulte was 4-for-4.
“I really struggled at the beginning of the season and I wasn’t playing a lot,” Schulte said. “It’s no fun sitting on the bench, especially on a winning team. But I tried to be happy and cheer on my team. When I got the chance, I just went out and had fun playing baseball.”
Iowa is 24-11 overall, including 14-4 in the Big Ten.
For the season Schulte is hitting .325 with a .374 on-base percentage and a .482 slugging percentage. He has four doubles and three home runs to go along with 21 RBIs and has scored 17 runs.
In the field Schulte has a .925 fielding average. In 53 chances, he has 16 putouts and 33 assists with just four errors.
Schulte said after taking classes in the mornings, he practices at 1 p.m. every day at Duane Banks Field in Iowa City. Even on their one day off during the week, the Hawkeyes are working to get better, individually and collectively.
“We get together as a team on our day off and go do the things we need to do to get better,” Schulte said.
Schulte said road trips present different challenges. As a sports management major, he has to find time to get his school work done around his busy baseball schedule.
“They treat us really good on our road trips. The best part about it is just being with your teammates and friends. We’ve gotten really close as a team,” Schulte said. “We take a bus to conference games at Northwestern, Michigan, Illinois, Wisconsin and all the closer ones. We will fly to places like Penn State and the west coast. You really have to manage your time wisely. We study whenever we can. We use our hot spots a lot.”
Schulte said he focuses on getting a little better each day, whether that is fielding or hitting. At the NCAA Division I level, a fraction of an inch can mean the difference between success and failure.
“I learn a lot every day, especially working on my hitting. (Iowa hitting coach) Marty Sutherland works with me a ton and it’s making a big difference,” Schulte said. “You have to be a lot more smooth at this level. When I was playing Juco ball, you just get the job done no matter what. Up here, the small things make a big difference.”
Justin Schulte, who is the head baseball coach at SCC, played for Iowa back in his college days.
Kooper is carving his own path at Iowa. There is no place he would rather be and nothing else he would rather be doing.
“It’s awesome playing here at Iowa. It’s been my dream since I was little. It’s a privilege to put on this jersey,” Kooper Schulte said. “Coach (Rick) Heller stresses to us every day how important it is to put on that University of Iowa jersey. It’s a real privilege and honor. We understand that.”
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