AURORA — Brent Schwarz doesn’t deny it. “I’m kind of nerdy,” he said. “I like school.”
The Regis Jesuit senior right-hander is actually a big nerd — he’s 6-foot-3, 215 pounds — who pitched the Raiders into the 2014 Class 5A championship game and makes no apologies for his commitment to academics.
In fact, Schwarz sought a college that will best serve his professional aspirations as well as his baseball needs.
Hello, Rice Owls.
“I like school, the upper tier of academics,” said Schwarz, who has a 4.5 grade-point average, devours advanced-placement courses for snacks, nearly aced the ACT and has been mentioned in the mix for valedictorian. “Rice is really a combination of that with the baseball program.”
Schwarz bounced around a bit while growing up, including in Houston, where Rice is located. He plans to attack the Owls program will everything he has.
But he needs to be prepared for what lies ahead if he fails in a game of failure.
“Before any of the college stuff happened, I wouldn’t settle for a place I wouldn’t want to be without baseball,” Schwarz said. “If something happened with baseball, if it didn’t work out, I’d still be happy where I am. Rice is the best I could ask for. It really combined everything.”
No member of the Regis Jesuit baseball team is surprised by Schwarz’s direction.
“He’s obviously very talented from a baseball standpoint, but he’s also an exceptional student,” coach Matt Darr said. “Brent’s got a lot going outside of baseball. He’ll play (at Rice), but he’ll be successful at whatever he does.”
Raiders junior center fielder Quin Cotton, who also was with Schwarz on the Rockies’ Scout Team last fall, knows a smart player when he sees one.
“Yeah, definitely, he’s really a cerebral guy who works hard and is a real good problem solver,” Cotton said.
Schwarz also considers himself fortunate. A year ago right before the start of the season, Raiders senior left-hander David Peterson, an Oregon signee who was considered the state’s top pitcher, suffered a broken leg while playing pickup basketball. It thrust Schwarz into a leadership role as Regis Jesuit’s first pitching option. He had been 4-1 as a sophomore.
“I guess I was surprised by how much I got to pitch, the whole world was, with David getting hurt and everything,” he said. “When David broke his leg, it was ‘OK, here we go.’ “
Schwarz was 7-1 heading into the state championship game against Rocky Mountain. Even after not making it out of the third inning and being lit up for six runs (five earned) in taking the loss against the Lobos at All-City Field, Schwarz still permitted only 44 hits in 49 ⅔ innings last season while posting 50 strikeouts and a 2.54 ERA.
“He’s good, an 87, 88 (mph) guy who throws strikes,” said longtime Cherry Creek coach Marc Johnson.
Schwarz incorporates his sinker with a couple of different fastballs as well as a curveball and a changeup, but he claims his smarts are a product of the moment.
“Nothing compares to just focusing on the mound,” he said.
Schwarz, Darr said, is “one of a kind as a leader. He commands respect by how he plays on the field, but also how he acts every day. He’ll do anything. Everybody, everything he does goes into that. He commands respect and every action is for the betterment of the team. It’s never about him. That goes a long way with kids, especially when you’re good.”
As far as Schwarz’s accompanying easy- going demeanor, Cotton said, “he’s a really a presence. But he’s very approachable, very nice, definitely a role model for younger guys. And he’s not really intimidating.”
Schwarz, who has had two no-decisions in the early going this year, plans to keep the Raiders in contention before heading to Houston, where he still has some family.
He is taking the smart route, as usual.
“Academics, to me that’s what has always been preached as being important and, obviously, with age I’ve come to see it myself,” he said.
“Baseball will end at some point, and education has been such a vital part in really all of my life.”
Neil H. Devlin: ndevlin@denverpost.com or
