MaxPreps Weekly Honor Roll, presented by the United States Marine Corps: Calder Schmidt, Newman

Most baseball players in eighth-grade are still learning the game at the middle school level.

Not Calder Schmidt. He was thrust into action on the varsity stage.

That early varsity exposure on the diamond has helped Schmidt become a strong player on the Newman (New Orleans) baseball team.

But Schmidt isn't limited to just baseball. He's a multi-year starter in football and an academic wiz at the very tough private school. The junior is the whole package.

"He's been one of our favorite kids in the program from the moment he walked in," Newman baseball coach Trey Guillot said. "He's funny. He's always seemed a little bit more mature than his years. Just an easy kid to talk to, likes to have fun. ... He's been a real asset to the program; on the field, off the field."

Schmidt was one of only three players who went out for the Newman eighth-grade baseball team, so not having enough players to field a team, he was pulled up to varsity.

"We talk about it like it's a redshirt year," Guillot said. "If kids are really serious about getting better and work hard at practice that they have a real opportunity to really make a big difference. Certainly for the last two years, we've reaped those rewards for the time that he put in earlier."

That first season, Schmidt was primarily a courtesy runner for the pitcher and catcher. He's always been fast on the base paths, and spent a great deal of time that first year around the coaches picking up the nuances of the game.

"I learned so much, whether it was hitting or preparing to face pitchers in different situations and what you need to do or in the field knowing how to read balls and what balls you should dive on and what balls you should let hit and if you should decoy on the deep ball, stuff like that," Schmidt said. "I learned that all eighth-grade year, so I didn't have to waste any time in high school ball freshman year like most kids have to. I was pretty ready to jump in."

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As a freshman, Schmidt was the team's top base runner off the bench and filled in at all three outfield spots. If one of the starting outfielders was called in to pitch, Schmidt grabbed a couple innings in the field.

Schmidt was the No. 4 outfielder as a sophomore, but cracked the starting lineup as the team's everyday designated hitter. He was relied on heavily out of the No. 9 slot to roll the lineup over for the top of the order.

Being able to concentrate on hitting was the perfect scenario for Schmidt. Game in and game out, he watched his team's top two pitchers and how they approached hitters and counts. He became a better hitter by being a student of the game.

"That was probably one of my favorite seasons I've had," Schmidt said. "Because baseball is such a mental sport, you have to deal with all this adversity. You're constantly failing and you have to continue to get over that. When you're new to starting, and as a base runner I failed very little. I had pretty constant success as a base runner, so I wasn't really used to that fail. But then getting thrown in my sophomore year, being able to hit and not have to worry about the pressure of being an outfielder and making those throws and making the diving catches you need to make, it made me much more relaxed and comfortable to know that I had one job and that was just to hit the ball."

This year as a junior, Schmidt is starting in right field. He's hitting leadoff, setting the table for the big hitters. Schmidt's mental approach has helped him gain an advantage on the bases.

"I'm very comfortable on the base paths, and I think that's all because of the time I've been running since eighth-grade," Schmidt said. "I know what catchers have the ability to do and I can watch catchers during warm up, and this guy's going to do this and this guy's going to be able to throw me out here or this guy's not going to be able to throw me out here." Schmidt might only be hitting .153 this season in 26 games, but he has a .340 on-base percentage. He's been on base 34 times and scored 18 runs. Schmidt has also pitched in 11.1 innings in relief.

"He's always trying to figure out how he can gain an edge," Guillot said. "Whether it's talking to the assistant coaches about what pitches the pitcher has confidence in and what you think he's going to throw next at-bat or what pitch do you think I should try to steal on? There's a definite intellectual side to the way he approaches baseball and that comes from him being as good a student as he is."

Schmidt doesn't solely concentrate on baseball, he's also a football player at Newman. He has started the past two seasons at cornerback and hauled in six interceptions.

The 17-year-old really enjoys the balance of playing football and baseball.

"I think if you're going to be a two-sport athlete in high school, you need to play football and baseball," Schmidt said. "I think there's no better combination. They're two very competitive sports, but they use very different parts of your body both physically and mentally."

Newman has been a solid football program over the years. Famous alumni include Peyton Manning, Eli Manning and Odell Beckham, who all give back to the program and frequent the school's facilities.

Schmidt considers it a privilege to play at the same school as the Mannings and Beckham.

"As much as you feel like that passion of playing at the same school as Eli and Peyton and Odell Beckham, you definitely feel that weight on you," Schmidt said. "Everyone at Newman, at least what I've witnessed and this is certainly how I feel as well, no one thinks they're going to be the Mannings. No one thinks they're going to be the next Odell Beckham. But everyone knows what they gave to the school; the effort that they provided and the effort they gave in everything they worked for – not only on the field but off the field."

In the classroom, Schmidt, the class president as a sophomore and junior and his upcoming senior year, has dedicated himself to attaining solid grades over the years. His grade point average is about 4.15 and he was recently inducted into the Cum Laude Society, which recognizes students in the top 10 percent of their class.

He is a part of the school's Mad Scientists' Club, the Green Club and ARC Club (Association of Retarded Citizens). Schmidt takes immense pride in being a part of ARC, which is a home for adults who are mentally handicapped. Those folks don't get too much time out of their homes, so every few months the ARC Club members provide lunch to them at Newman. The students will also do arts and crafts with the adults and dance with them.

"It's really powerful to see what all the kids including myself can do with these adults," Schmidt said. "You see these adults smile bigger than I think I've ever seen an adult smile. You know they're happier than they've ever been. They love doing it and we love doing it just to see that smile; it's worth anything that I've ever done. It's one of the best moments I can have."

Schmidt also volunteers for football and baseball camps throughout the summer. He works with young players on fundamentals of the game. Coach Guillot said the kids look up to Schmidt as a role model.

"It's because he does things the right way, but at the same time he has a lot of fun while he does it," Guillot said.

It's important for Schmidt to be heavily involved in school activities, clubs and volunteer work around New Orleans.

"I try not to be the stereotypical person who just cares about their studies and about their sports," Schmidt said. "I definitely like to give back to the community, because I recognize how much the community's given back to me these past 13 years I've been at Newman." Know an incredible student-athlete who stands out in sports and in life away from competition? Click here to nominate them for a chance to be featured on MaxPreps.