Name: Kurt Schluter
Position: RHP (Right Handed Pitcher)
Number: #27
Awards: 1st team All Conference, Atlantic Sun Pitcher of the Year, Academic All Conference (Freshman and Sophomore year), 3rd Team All American, 2012 Preseason All American, 2012 Preseason Atlantic Sun Pitcher of the Year
Winning the Atlantic Sun Conference this past year didn’t only give Stetson baseball players bragging rights and a fancy ring to show off, it also gave these talented young, D1 athletes the willingness to continue and achieve greatness. Over the past few years, the Stetson baseball team has made great strides in the success of their seasons as well as upping their game in the athletes they sign.
One athlete in particular, by the name of Kurt Schluter (#27, Junior), stuck out in the minds of coaches and fans alike at an early age. “My freshman year, in my first collegiate start as a pitcher, I was 2 outs away from throwing a no-hitter against Central Michigan University.” A pretty good start for a rookie, but Schluter didn’t stop there. Shluter continued to be successful at the sport as well as winning multiple awards over the years. His most recent awards included 2012 Preseason All American and 2012 Preseason Atlantic Sun Pitcher of the Year.
With the many hours the Stetson baseball team practices per week, it must be hard to compete at the D1 level every practice right? Not for Schluter. Motivation and perseverance is something Schluter prides himself on, and continues to self motivate himself as well as using the support of his teammates to achieve success on the field. Schluter claims “the biggest factor that motivates me is the opportunity to go out on the mound and put our team in a position to win every time I pitch. On top of that every individual player behind me always motivates and picks every one up which really helps the whole team.” When asked about the pressures of the game as well as the physical strain athletes put on their bodies with intensive workouts and injuries Schluter responded quite positively claiming “I don’t really see baseball as a job, I came to Stetson with the opportunity to play baseball and that’s something I looked forward to as a little kid. I love the game of baseball and always enjoy playing it. Of course, there are days when you’re tired but in hind sight you pull through and get the job done because its something you love to do and the team relies on you”.
Although it may seem Schluter can take on the best of teams single handily, the 2012 Stetson Baseball team looks like it will continue to be a powerhouse in the A-Sun division. “Our team has a bunch of great guys on it. Since we are such a veteran team, a lot of us have gotten to know each other over the past couple years and I believe that has been a big factor to our success. Every one on the team has a blue collar mentality, making sure that we earn everything instead of being given it. Our team captains this year (Mark Jones, Rob Crews, Joe Dye) have done a great job on preparing us for this season and have really preached coming together as a ball club and repeating the success that we accomplished last year.”