University of South Carolina Aiken Athletics

The University of South Carolina Aiken may have stolen one of the most underrated players in Peach Belt History.
 
Max Schoen came from the city of Loveland, Colorado; a 1,364 mile trek away from USC Aiken. Schoen comes from a community that nearly doubles the population of the City of Aiken. However, the senior baseball standout went overlooked when it came time to be recruited to play in college.
 
“I grew up playing all sports basically. I played soccer, football and even rode horses but my two favorites were always hockey and baseball,” said Schoen.
 
As he grew older, his hockey season and baseball would begin to conflict leaving Schoen to choose between the two sports he loved.
 
Schoen made the decision to continue his pursuit of playing college baseball.  
 
“I wasn’t recruited out of high school. I thought I was good enough but the offers just never came,” said Schoen.
 
During his senior year of high school, Schoen decided that he would continue his baseball career at Lamar Community College, a junior college in Colorado.
 
His freshman year, Schoen batted .316 with 11 RBI’s and 17 Runs. His second year at Lamar, he saw the field 40 times while starting 35 of those contests. Schoen Increased his batting average to .323, tallied two home runs, 26 RBI’s and 25 runs in the 2013 season.
 
As his time at Lamar winded down, Schoen began to explore his options for the future.
 
“Ty Barkell, a former player here,  was a good friend of mine and when my season was over I reached out to him to see if he could help me figure out my next step. Within a few days, I heard from an assistant coach at USC Aiken and decided that I would be coming here to finish my career,” said Schoen.
 
With all things looking up, Schoen’s plan came to a halt when he was required to have a season ending shoulder surgery. 
 
“It was a long six month recovery and I truly didn’t feel 100% until the one year mark,” said Schoen.
 
Schoen’s first year as a Pacer consisted of rehabilitating his shoulder back to full strength and learning how to get back into his true baseball form.
 
His second year in a Pacer uniform, Schoen struggled to get back to his full potential. He appeared in 18 games while batting .250.
 
 
“I was so frustrated with the situation that I knew it would be best for me to spend the summer at home playing backyard baseball with my friends and family instead of playing summer ball like most college players do,” said Schoen.
 
Schoen felt that his stress level was brought to an all time low while being back in Loveland. He reignited his love for the game of baseball.
 
Halfway through his senior season, Schoen is currently sitting at the top of the Peach Belt Conference with an unbelievable .525 batting average. He has already  tallied 27 runs, 52 hits, 31 RBI’s and five home runs through 25 games. If Schoen is to stay at this pace, he would shatter form Pacer great, Ashley Farr’s batting average record of .483.
 
The key to his success; friendliness.
 
“When I step up to the plate, I really just focus on nothing. I carry on casual conversations with the ump or the opposing teams catcher so that it keeps things light when I’m up to bat,” said Schoen.
 
Most fans would think that this is the highest quality hitting that one could ever witness. However, Schoen believes that this is just the start for him.
 
“I know I am getting beat on some pitches and I think I can get better with my adjustments. This is just the beginning of my journey,” said Schoen.
 
The calm and collective powerhouse hopes to be drafted into the MLB following his senior season. If all goes his way, he would love to follow in the footsteps of his hometown hero, Troy Tulowitzki and someday wear a Colorado Rockies jersey.