MTHS Grad Schwartz Headed for White Sox

On the eve of Major League Baseball's first-year player draft, Mike Schwartz was sitting in his parents' house in Lutz, Fla. with his family. The former Montville High School third-baseman waited for his name to be called.

When that time finally came, Schwartz said, it was a huge relief.

"It felt really good," he said. "I felt ready to take the next step, and then I heard my name, and it felt pretty cool."

Schwartz, 23, was drafted by the Chicago White Sox in the 17th round of the draft after his senior year at the University of Tampa.

He graduated from Monvtille High School in 2005 and played for the team from 2002-2005. Schwartz made several all-county and all-state teams while playing at Montville. He credits much of his present success to what he learned during his high school years.

"Coach Casey and Coach [Bruce] Dostal both had experience with professional baseball, so that helped me out a lot," he said. "It helped me learn what it takes to become a professional, both physically and mentally."

Schwartz spent two years at Hillsborough Community College in Tampa before transferring to the University of Tampa.

Now a first-baseman, he hit 25 home runs with 113 RBIs over the past two seasons for the Spartans and helped guide them to winning the Division Two South Regional Tournament last month.

Much of Schwartz's success has come from his ability to take walks. Last season he led all Division 2 players in walks with 75 and was second in the nation in on-base percentage at .597. Schwartz said this ability has been very important to his career.

"Being disciplined at the plate makes you swing at better pitches," he said, "which makes you hit for a higher average and on-base percentage. Being that type of hitter helped me individually and helps team success with good situational hitting."

Schwartz said he was excited that the White Sox were the ones to select him.

"It's a great organization," he said. "Everyone talks about how it's a top notch organization compared to other places. I'm lucky to be in a place like that."

Schwartz was assigned to the White Sox rookie league affiliate, the Bristol White Sox and has already seen game action.

"Playing in the big leagues has always been my dream," Schwartz said, "and this is a big step towards it. I can't see myself doing anything else with my life."

The White Sox also drafted two of Schwartz's teammates from the University of Tampa, Mike Blanke and Austin Evans.

The people around Schwarz during his career see the way he's grown as a player and a person. His former coach at the University of Tampa, Joe Urso, said he has matured a lot over their time playing together.

"His first year he was hard on himself when he would even make an out," Urso said. "His second year he was able to deal with little adversities which helped him stay consistent."

Urso also said he knew Schwartz would make it to this level someday.

"He's a complete hitter," Urso said. "This guy knows his strike zone better than anyone I coached; he can use all parts of the field. I knew this would eventually be in the cards, it was just a matter of him understanding that he couldn't be too hard on himself and he grew up and matured a lot. He should continue to hit for a long time."