Robert Andrezejewski knew better than to get overly involved with his high school players when it came to choosing a college.
However, he does recall one critical aspect of Spencer Schwellenbach’s recruitment by Nebraska.
“I know for a fact he fell in love with the former head coach,” Andrezejewski said of Darin Erstad.
“Spencer really liked him and really liked his personality. He really thought he could benefit from him. That was a huge part of it.”
There was another significant part of Nebraska’s recruiting pitch in 2017-18 as it tried to reel in the star player from Saginaw (Michigan) Heritage High School.
“They were going to give him an opportunity to pitch and play shortstop, whereas the other teams from Michigan wanted him mainly for one of the two positions,” Andrezejewski, now retired, recently told 51Ƶ.
People are also reading…
The former prep coach didn’t mention Michigan or Michigan State by name. He’s a gentleman, and there’s no reason to burn bridges.
He's also an enthusiastic baseball fan, so of course he knew of Erstad’s exploits as a major-leaguer.
“Being a Detroit Tigers fan, maybe I didn’t follow him that much, wasn’t cheering for him that much,” Andrezejewski said of the former Husker who was chosen first overall by the Angels in the 1995 draft. “But anybody who plays for that many years at the professional level, well, you look up to a person like that. I was kind of in awe of him when I met him.”
Plenty of people in Saginaw, especially younger folks, already were in awe of Schwellenbach well before Monday’s news that he was drafted in the second round (59th overall) by the Atlanta Braves. His legend just grew another notch.
He was chosen as a pitcher, and expects to be a pitcher in the majors, but the Braves also like him as a shortstop.
“For four years, our team at Heritage was blessed to have somebody like him,” Andrezejewski said. “His demeanor, his humility — he’s just such an inspirational person to be around. He’s a fun-loving guy, but in a good way. That makes it fun as far as coaching him. Sometimes you need that person who will keep people relaxed — you know, joke around a little bit, but it’s always in good-natured form.”
Although Schwellenbach pitched only one season at Nebraska — he had a Big Ten-leading 10 saves and an 0.57 earned-run average this season — his prowess on the mound was evident as far back as his little-league days.
“I lived two blocks from the little-league field, so I saw him play a ton,” Andrezejewski said. “We knew he was a heck of a hitter at that level. Then we saw him pitch. At that level, he was just throwing fastballs and nothing else. That was really smart on his part and on the part of whoever was coaching him.”
Schwellenbach made the Heritage High varsity as a freshman, already throwing 80-to-84 mph, Andrezejewski said. But the coaching staff didn’t overuse him.
By his senior year, Schwellenbach could throw in the low 90s. The coaches were careful to avoid having Schwellenbach throw a lot of breaking pitches. Schwellenbach himself was careful. His primary breaking pitch was a change-up, which isn’t necessarily an easy pitch to learn.
“But he came in his freshman year, and his change-up was better than any change-up I’ve seen a high school pitcher throw, and he just got better and better and better,” Andrezejewski said. “He could locate it. He could get it to break down. So that’s what he focused on. As a senior, we tried to get him to work on either a curve or slider. He kind of played around with it. I don’t think he ever felt comfortable with that, and he was being very careful about his arm.”
It surely helps explain why Schwellenbach’s arm strength seems excellent at this stage of his career.
It’s perhaps something the Braves' brass liked.
“He’s just a competitor,” Andrezejewski said. “He was a very smart player for a person his age when he was in high school. He knew the game very well -- far beyond the normal high school player.”
The former Heritage High coach beams with pride as he recalls Schwellenbach’s career. As a four-year varsity player, he hit .416 with six home runs, 163 hits overall, 36 doubles, eight triples, 112 RBIs, 143 runs scored and 35 stolen bases. In addition, he was 18-6 with a 0.73 ERA in 154 innings pitched.
“We always felt — the coaching staff and people who have coached him on other levels — that he had the potential to be drafted,” Andrezejewski said. "It’s hard to say exactly where because that’s kind of unpredictable. But we felt he had the potential if he kept growing as an athlete and studying the game seriously. He’s done all that. His work ethic is unbelievable.”
There’s something else important in this conversation.
“He’s just a great kid, too,” Andrezejewski said. “That really sets him apart from a lot of people who are interested in playing. He’s a first-class gentleman and just an outstanding person. We’re very proud of him here in Heritage country.”