OLSH rookie Fields-Schulz shines in big game, leads team to WPIAL playoff quarterfinal win
MCKEES ROCKS — Iseia Fields-Schulz is a creature of habit.
The Our Lady of Sacred Heart High School freshman pitcher follows the same pre-game routine before every contest. He puts his Apple AirPods in his ears immediately after boarding the team bus (his favorite pump-up song is “Already” by rapper Kodak Black). Upon arrival at the ballpark, he runs around the field, stretches his arms out with resistance bands and then throws a few warm-up pitches.
Rinse. Repeat.
Maybe that’s why there isn’t a game or moment that feels too big for the first-year varsity player. Maybe that’s why he had the outing he had on Thursday afternoon to lead the No. 5-seed Chargers (11-7) to a 6-0 win over the No. 4-seed West Greene Pioneers (12-6) in their WPIAL Class 1A playoff quarterfinal matchup at Burkett Field. Fields-Schulz put together a masterpiece on the mound, finishing with 15 strikeouts and just one hit in 7.0 innings in his first career postseason game.
“I feel like I’m pretty good with pressure,” Fields-Schulz said. “I know there was a lot of pressure on me. I feel like that helped me do well in this game.”
The 6-foot-1, 185-pound lefty admits he was “really nervous” in the opening innings. He quickly shook off any nerves he may have had, though. And even as only a freshman, his demeanor and poise ignited his teammates.
Junior shortstop James Saftner said having a player like Fields-Schulz on the hill eases the minds of the team’s offensive standouts.
“When we’ve got a guy like him out there, we can kind of just focus up and really just focus on hitting the ball,” said Saftner, who finished with a team-high three runs against the Pioneers. “Because we know we have a solid pitcher on the other side.”
So, while Fields-Schulz continued to rack up the strikeouts, Saftner and other Chargers took care of business at the plate.
And that’s exactly what OLSH head coach Phil McCarren predicted would be the case. McCarren saved his rookie ace for Thursday’s game, knowing the Chargers would need their No. 1 pitcher’s arm against a West Greene team that had been stellar for most of the season.
From the minute Fields-Schulz showed up to OLSH’s winter workouts in January, McCarren and others within the program knew he had the potential to have an immediate impact. McCarren said he saw a kid with “good mechanics,” “good fundamentals,” and “good pitcher savvy.” When the season began, he saw a player that lived up to the hype.
“He’s had some really good outings in section games, so I’d seen it already,” McCarren said. “And I expected it again (in the playoffs). He seemed focused and ready to go. I trust him.”
Fields-Schulz believes in those around him as much as they believe in him. That, more than anything, might be the reason for his early dominance. Having unwavering faith in the players behind him has allowed Fields-Schulz to block out everyone — and everything — but him and the opposing batter when he’s on the mound.
So far, it’s led to a season in which he’s tallied 57 strikeouts in 35 innings.
“I trust my fielders, so in my head, I know all I’ve got to do is (try to get) strikes,” Fields-Schulz said. “And that’s just what I did (today).”
Now, with OLSH moving on to Monday’s WPIAL Class 1A playoff semifinal, where it will take on the winner of No. 1-seed Eden Christian Academy and No. 8-seed Greensburg Central Catholic, the group will need Fields-Schulz to continue to deliver.
That shouldn’t be an issue. After all, for him, no moment has been too big, no light too bright.
“Knowing that there’s a little bit of pressure on me,” Fields-Schulz said, “that helps me a lot to get through situations. Because I love situations — bases loaded, no outs.”
Contact Parth Upadhyaya at pupadhyaya@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter @pupadhyaya_.
This article originally appeared on Beaver County Times: OLSH's Fields-Schulz leads Chargers in WPIAL playoff quarterfinal win
