Eastern Illinois University baseball coach and Panther Club member Jim Schmitz has won the Ohio Valley Conference 'Coach of the Year' three times. He has racked up 500 career wins and is the all-time wins leader for the Panther Baseball program. Under Schmitz's guidance, the Panthers have taken home four Ohio Valley Conference regular season titles, two OVC tournament titles, and two West Division Championship wins when the Panthers were members of the Mid-Continent Conference.
The most prominent thing about Eastern Illinois University baseball coach Jim Schmitz is not just his impressive arsenal of titles. It's that he cares about his players. Panther Baseball isn't all about the wins and losses to him. It is about the guys he has on the field. “It is important to have the best nine and not just the nine best playing,” Schmitz says when asked about his coaching philosophy.
In earlier years, Schmitz says he was more concerned with mechanics such as hitting and pitching. Now, he focuses on building up his team morale and motivating his players. Schmitz puts an emphasis on encouraging players and building their confidence.
Academics also take precedent. The team has a mandatory study hall on the bus ride home from games. “It gives the players a chance to check up on the next week and make sure they are prepared,” he says.
When asked about his favorite thing about coaching Panther baseball, Coach Schmitz cites team development. “Seeing a team come together and do the things you have been working on for months is a favorite,” he says. “I also enjoy watching players develop as Tyler Kehrer, Jordan Kreke and Brett Nommensen did last year and going on to play pro baseball.”
In 2009, former EIU pitcher and MLB draft pick Tyler Kehrer went 48th overall to the Anaheim Angels in Compensation Round A. Kehrer is the highest draft pick from Eastern Illinois University since 1988.
In 2009, EIU centerfielder Brett Nommensen was an 8th round pick on the second day of the MLB draft. Nommensen went to the Tampa Bay Rays. Jordan Kreke, infielder and pitcher on EIU's 2009 roster, went to the Atlanta Braves in the second day of the draft in the 13th round.
Coach Schmitz didn't always plan on coaching college baseball. As a graduate with a Bachelor's in sociology, he worked at an outreach program at his alma mater, Wilmington College in Ohio. He had been accepted to University of Dayton Law School when his former coach resigned over the summer and Schmitz stepped up to fill his shoes. “My wife still reminds me of this when our girls cost me too much!” Schmitz jokes about passing up a career in law for baseball.
Before coming to Eastern Illinois, Schmitz coached at Ole Miss (University of Mississippi). Wanting to get out of the “Never Home” race of Southeast Conference baseball where he was on the road eleven months out of the year, he saw the position open up at EIU and took it. He also liked that Eastern Illinois University was closer to his hometown of Cincinnati, Ohio.
The 2008 Panthers were wildly successful in the regular and post-seasons. The team clinched the Ohio Valley Conference title and qualified for the NCAA tournament. Schmitz was most impressed with his assisting staff. “The best part was watching all year how my assistants, Sean Lyons and Skylar Meade, kept working and motivating our team. We did not hit well during the year but Sean and Skylar did a great job of motivating the team to get better each week. It paid off and we got hot at the right time,” he explains.
In 2007, Coach Schmitz celebrated his 500th career win. “Everyone says 'it's not a big deal' but for me, it was remembering all the players I coached. I received many notes and really appreciate all the kind words,” he says when asked about the effect it had on him. “I was also glad the article did not have my many losses.”
Schmitz encourages his players to give back to the community. The team participates in service programs in both the fall and the spring. The players and coaches take part in Habitat for Humanity around the Charleston/Mattoon area and help with Lake Land College's 'Friend for a Day' program. A few years ago, while on a spring break trip to New Orleans, the team volunteered at both a children's hospital and an AIDS clinic.
As one of the most successful coaches in Panther history, Jim Schmitz is a true leader. Schmitz helps his players live up to the student-athlete expectations. Each year, he works to build upon previous successes and bring his team closer together. He makes us all proud to be Panthers.
