Augustana College Athletics

The Augustana baseball program went from a 17-18 record in 1997 to a school-record 38 wins against just eight losses in the 2000 season. That period coincided with the career of Scott Schmid, and the infielder and pitcher had a great deal to do with that improvement.
 
When Schmid’s career ended following that record-setting 2000 season, he held Viking all-time records for at-bats (542), runs (138) and hits (222) as well as single-season marks for at-bats and hits, with 171 and 69, respectively, in 2000. His career batting average of .410 is still third highest in school history. In addition, he went 15-5 with five saves and a 3.43 ERA in 45 career pitching appearances. He was a first team All-CCIW selection three times and earned second team honors once. He was also a two-time all-region pick and two-time CoSIDA Academic All-American.
 
Schmid came to Augustana from York High School in Elmhurst, Illinois and immediately made an impact, earning first team All-CCIW honors for Coach Barry Bilkey’s club after hitting .443 with one home run and 20 RBI. That average led the team and to this day is still the fifth-highest in school history. He scored 28 runs, stole eight bases and fanned just six times in 106 at-bats. He played mostly at third base, but also appeared in nine games—including four starts—on the mound, going 2-2 with one save.
 
Greg Wallace took over as the head coach heading into his sophomore season but the production did not slow down as Schmid hit .390 and the Vikings improved to 22-16 in 1998. He scored 30 runs, was perfect in eight stolen base attempts and was a second team All-CCIW selection. He went 1-1 in six pitching appearances, completing two of his four starts and compiling a 3.41 ERA.
 
Schmid’s junior season yielded another appearance on the All-CCIW first team as well as all-region and GTE Academic All-America honors. Augustana went 32-13, setting a school record for wins as Schmid hit .408 with one homer and 27 RBI. His 60 hits included 15 doubles—the second-highest total in school history at the time. He made just five errors in 154 chances for a fielding percentage of .968 and continued to blossom as a pitcher. He went 6-1 with three saves and a 2.18 ERA in 15 appearances, fanning 36 in 41 1/3 innings.
 
In 2000, Schmid repeated as a first team All-CCIW pick, all-region performer and Academic All-American. He was named the Most Outstanding Offensive Player for a Viking squad that bettered the previous year’s school record for wins by six, going 38-8, including 17-4 in the conference. He started all 46 games and set single-season school records for at-bats and hits. He batted .404 with career highs in runs (46), RBI (43), walks (31) and stolen bases (10 in 11 attempts). For the second straight season, he went 6-1 in 15 pitching appearances. He completed two of his five starts with one shutout, recorded one save, posted career highs of 54 innings and 39 strikeouts while compiling an ERA of 2.50.
 
Schmid is single and resides in Elmhurst, Illinois. His family includes parents Bob and Carol, brother and sister-in-law Brad and Becky and nieces Maureen and Megan. Scott called his Augustana years “a great all-around experience, both with baseball and everything outside the athletic realm.”
 
Since graduating from Augustana in 2000 with a degree in business administration, Schmid has worked as a financial planner as well as a high school baseball coach and football and basketball official. For more than a decade, he’s made his living as a sports reporter and writer for Shaw Media’s Suburban Life newspapers in the Chicago area.