Cal Poly Baseball in Review — Cam Schneider and Scott Ogrin

Cam Schneider (Sophomore, RHP)

Season synopsis

In contrast to 2016 when he was mostly a starter, Schneider’s 2017 innings came mostly out of the bullpen. Pitching in relief, Schneider posted one more inning than he did as a freshman and pitched generally more effectively, posting a 4.15 ERA (5.96 in 2016).

Is the Pen Permanent?

Don’t be surprised if Schneider competes for a starting role in 2018. He has experience and sometimes guys make a jump in the summer. Schneider’s big improvement in 2017 came in his control. While he struck out a few less batters, Schneider only walked 1.7 batters per nine innings. That was in contrast to walking over five batters per nine innings as a freshman starting pitcher. Throwing strikes is a big deal at the college level and if Schneider can continue to do so through the summer and fall, the 6′ 7″ righty from De La Salle High School in Concord will have as good a chance as anybody to compete for innings during his junior year in 2018. 

Summer at home

Catch Schneider at home in San Luis Obispo over the summer getting some work with the hometown SLO Blues. Cal Poly guys were only allowed to join their summer assignments over the past few days once finals were over. The Blues are at home tomorrow (Tuesday) night at 6pm. 

Scott Ogrin (Freshman, 2B/OF)

Scott Ogrin was second on the team with four home runs in 2017. By Owen Main

Season synopsis

The first thing I noticed about Ogrin is that he doesn’t wear batting gloves. I guess it tives you the feeling of an old school guy. One that’s tough and hard-nosed. I don’t know if I know that much about him at this point, but he doesn’t wear batting gloves. So those things must be true.

Finding his spot

Ogrin played a number of positions early in the season — mostly right field — before settling in as the team’s regular second baseman late in the season and for most of conference play. He was 7th on the team in starts and tied for second on the club with four home runs. He hit .217 with seven doubles and three triples.

Turning stability into consistency

Ogrin was a relatively stable and reliable player in 2017. He made eight errors, but was a solid option to play a lot of infield for a team that was not good early on defense. 

Ogrin has the power and all-around athleticism to contribute in lots of ways in 2018. He’s the kind of player who fans would like to see improve all facets of his game incrementally — especially his consistent hard contact. A .217 average isn’t the hitter Ogrin is long-term. The best-case scenario is that Ogrin makes the adjustments that move his average closer to .300 and continues to increase his power while playing reliable defense. Without strikeout pitchers like Erich Uelmen and Spencer Howard back, that defense could mean even more. 

This summer, Ogrin will work to hone his skill in the Northwoods League with the Eau Claire Express in Wisconsin.