Glen Strandberg
Sports Editor

The day Trip Schultz officially signed his letter of intent to attend the University of Minnesota and play baseball for the Gophers, his high school baseball coach, Brian Raabe, talked about the importance of timing: Minnesota was looking for talented left handed players, and they found one in their northeastern backyard of Forest Lake.

During their scouting process last spring, they caught a glimpse of what Schultz could do for their team when he belted a home run at Cretin-Derham Hall that ended up on the roof in centerfield. Thatís nice timing. And as that little anecdote also shows, it never hurts to be good.

How good?

Schultz ran for more than 1,100 yards and scored 12 touchdowns for the Ranger football team this fall, but heís opting to play baseball. In addition to the ëU,í Schultz also attracted interest from schools like Notre Dame, Creighton and Kentucky, who all spent a majority of last springís baseball season ranked in the top 25 in the country.

That good.

ìItís nice to actually sign and youíre done with it then, and you know exactly where youíre going, 100 percent,î Schultz said after he signed on Nov. 8. ìI put a lot of thought into it, but I felt that the program here was definitely strong enough to compete with those, and the hometown thing was a big part of it.î

There were simply too many perks to staying in state, and itís not like the Gophers are struggling to compete on the national level. Head coach John Anderson is the career leader in conference wins in the Big Ten, they havenít had a losing season in 43 years, and theyíve made the NCAA tournament four times since Turn of the Millennium.

ìI played underneath the same coaching staff, so I know what Tripís in for,î Raabe said. ìThese guys, I knew they would give him an honest look, an honest opinion, and thatís what they did with him in the recruiting process.

ìI think he made a very, very good choice, and Iím excited about it because Iím a coach here, but also an alumni [of the university].î

Tripís parents, Dave and Tara, were also pleased with a decision that will have their son studying and playing only 30 miles away.

ìEverything that the coaches told us, they followed up and did,î Dave Schultz said. ìThat was nice.î

As for mom, she probably summed it up best: ìWe couldnít be happier he chose the university. The coaches seemed like a really good fit...and we donít have to get on a plane to go watch him play. And I think theyíre programís excellent and that he can achieve all of his long-term goals at the University of Minnesota.î

Top of Page

Forest Lake Times
P.O. Box 218
880 SW 15 St.
Forest Lake, MN 55025
651-464-4601
Fax 651-464-4605