Former Mount Carmel teammates taken in MLB draft

Jul. 11—Brenton Eades was glued to the internet, his eyes fixed on Major League Baseball's "draft tracker" more than ever in the hour after former Mount Carmel standout Thomas Schultz was selected Monday.

Eades has been a baseball guy and a Phillies fan about four times longer than he's been the Red Tornadoes' coach, and the thrill of having one of his players drafted kept him engaged with the app as he scrolled past a couple dozen unfamiliar names.

"All of a sudden I did a double-take on my phone, and I said to my wife, 'Holy s---!' Tommy Reisinger was just taken by Oakland!'" Eades said. "She said, 'No!' I said, 'Look!' She said, 'Holy s---!"

Indeed.

Within an hour's time, Schultz and Reisinger — teammates on Mount Carmel's 2019 division co-championship team — were drafted by Washington and Oakland, respectively, just 31 picks apart.

Schultz, a right-handed pitcher who recently completed his senior season at Vanderbilt University, was selected with the first pick of the ninth round (No. 255 overall) by the Nationals.

"I was watching every single pick today, just waiting," Schultz said. "I got a call from the Nationals earlier in the day, and they said they had me on their (draft) board, so obviously I knew they might pick me. I was watching when my name popped up — first pick of the ninth — and I really didn't believe it."

Reisinger, a right-hander who broke out with a terrific junior year at East Stroudsburg University, was selected with the second pick of the 10th round (No. 286) by the Athletics.

"I heard about (Reisinger) probably 40 minutes later, which is kind of a crazy hour for Mount Carmel baseball, having two guys drafted," said Schultz. "It's awesome. I'm so happy for Tommy and his family. He's an incredible dude who worked really hard for this opportunity."

The former Red Tornadoes became the Valley's first MLB draft picks since Shikellamy graduate Nick Dunn was selected in the fifth round by the St. Louis Cardinals in 2018. They were the first Mount Carmel players drafted since right-hander Dave Shinskie became the Minnesota Twins' fourth-round choice in 2003.

"I mean, I wouldn't say I'm surprised," Eades said. "Obviously, I knew the type of kids they were and the talent they had, but this is one of those sports that is played worldwide, and to have two kids who were teammates at a small local high school go in the ninth and 10th round ... I've never seen anything like it, and you may never see anything like it again in this area.

"If you would have told me when I got the (Mount Carmel baseball coach) job seven years ago that we would one day have teammates drafted, I'd have said, 'You're nuts.' To see one kid get drafted is really special. Two kids who were teammates is just unfathomable."

A dandy at Vandy

Schultz, a two-time Daily Player of the Year, committed to pitch for NCAA powerhouse Vanderbilt in April of his freshman year at Lourdes Regional, his first pitching at Mount Carmel through the schools' co-op agreement.

The Red Tornadoes had an improvement of at least three victories in each of Schultz's varsity seasons, from 11 in his sophomore year to 14 as a junior to 18 in 2019, which broke the 1987 program record. Schultz had a career mark of 18-11 with a 1.75 ERA and 225 strikeouts in 164.1 innings. He also hit .366 (101-for-276) with 62 RBIs and 59 runs scored in his career.

In his senior year, Schultz went 7-2 with an 0.58 ERA to help Mount Carmel share the Heartland Athletic Conference-Division III title with South Williamsport. He struck out 74 and walked just 12 while allowing 28 hits in 48 innings.

Schultz's first season at Vanderbilt was cut short by the COVID-19 outbreak, but he returned in 2021 as the third starter (4-2, 4.09) in a rotation headlined by future draftees Kumar Rocker and Jack Leiter that pitched the Commodores to the College World Series. In 2022, Schultz was moved to the bullpen and enjoyed his best collegiate season (4-2, 2.88), notching eight saves to rank fourth in the Southeastern Conference.

At 6-foot-6 and 243 pounds, Schultz began his senior season as Preseason All-American according to Collegiate Baseball and the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association (NCBWA). He was also on the NCBWA Stopper of the Year Watch List. He ultimately worked mostly in middle relief, making one start and earning one save in 21 appearances while compiling a 2-2 record and 4.05 ERA.

For his collegiate career, Schultz was 10-7 with 10 saves and a 3.38 ERA, striking out 127 batters in 125 1/3 innings.

"I would say maybe in past seasons, like my sophomore year, I thought about (improving my draft stock)," he said, "but being able to graduate and holding such a great degree from a place like Vanderbilt takes some of the pressure off, knowing there are options other than baseball if it doesn't work out."

ESU's shooting star

Reisinger was the Glavine to Schultz's Maddux, emerging as an ace in his sophomore season at Mount Carmel when he struck out 56 batters in 33 innings while posting a 2.55 ERA. As a junior in 2019, Reisinger went 4-1 with a 3.41 ERA and 48 strikeouts in 26 2/3 innings to contribute to the school record 18 wins. He batted .321 (35-for-109) over his final two high school seasons; the 2020 high school season was lost to COVID-19.

Reisinger was also the Red Tornadoes' starting quarterback and The Daily Item Boys Basketball Player of the Year in 2019-20.

"Reisinger was a late-bloomer," said Eades. "I knew he had potential, and obviously he was a big-time athlete, but when he went to ESU I think they really got a steal."

In seven appearances (two starts) as a Warriors freshman, Reisinger went 0-2 with a 17.36 ERA. The following year, he became a fixture in the ESU rotation and responded with a 6-5 record, a 4.70 ERA and 88 strikeouts over 69 innings.

At 6-3, 215, Reisinger flourished this past season, going 6-2 with a 2.64 ERA and 97 strikeouts in 71 2/3 innings as the Warriors advanced to the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) and NCAA Tournaments for the second consecutive year. He was was named All-PSAC East First Team, American Baseball Coaches Association/Rawlings All-Atlantic Region First Team and NCBWA All-Atlantic Region Second Team.

His 202 career strikeouts ranked sixth in East Stroudsburg history, while his 97 strikeouts were the fourth-most in any Warriors season.

Reisinger struck out at least seven batters in eight games in 2023, including each of his last four appearances. He threw three-hit ball over seven scoreless innings at Lock Haven on May 5.

"I think work ethic is at the root for both of them," Eades said. "Schultz obviously had the pedigree, committed to Vanderbilt for four years, and he worked hard to be in that position.

"Tommy was not a travel-ball kid; he went from high school ball to 7-on-7 (football workouts in the summer) to playing quarterback to basketball and then to baseball. He went to college and really honed his skills and just improved by leaps and bounds."

Both players have the option to decline signing with their respective teams and return to school — Schultz with the extra season granted to players affected by the COVID-19 season, and Reisinger for his senior season. Schultz, though, was thrilled to be chosen by Washington. He "really wanted" to be selected by an East Coast team, and the further North, the better so family and friends could more often attend games.

"It's so remarkable. I've been dreaming of this since I was 13, 14 years old," said Schultz. "I remember being that kid, watching guys from the area get drafted, looking up to them and wanting to be in their shoes."