NEW ALBANY, Ind. – Baseball has been ingrained in Slater Schield from an early age. Though his playing career hasn't always been easy, he has persisted through a shortened senior season and collegiate coaching changes to continue to play the game he loves.  
 
Born to Play Baseball
 
Slater Schield, a senior on the IU Southeast baseball team, grew up in Franklin, Tennessee. Schield gives credit to his parents for getting him into baseball.
 
"That's how I really got into baseball is [through] my parents, especially my dad," Schield said. "Funny story, actually, is when I was born, he had a baseball in his hand because he wanted a baseball to be the first thing that I touched in this world."
 
Schield fell in love with baseball at an early age. He started playing travel baseball around the age of six, but he began playing catch several years prior.
 
"I've always loved it," Schield said. "I was talking to my dad the other day and he was telling me he was throwing balls at me since I was two because he wanted to make sure I knew how to catch."
 
High School and Recruiting
 
Schield attended Independence High School. He loved his time playing baseball there, but his high school career was cut short due to COVID-19.
 
"High school baseball was so fun," Schield said. "We had a really good team. It sucks because 2020 was my year of graduation. We got two games in and COVID hit, and we couldn't play the rest of the year."
 
Schield was bummed out because he felt he was just hitting his stride as a baseball player.
 
"It was tough, especially the recruiting part of it," Schield said. "I had a really good breakout junior year, and senior year, I'm like alright this is it. It's time. And then [we play] two games, and that's it."
 
During his junior year, Schield began getting looked at by colleges. He felt that his recruiting was gaining traction before things got shut down his senior year.
 
"My junior year is when I started getting looked at," Schield said. "I have always been kind of undersized, so I was overlooked by a lot of the big schools. Some smaller schools offered me, and COVID hit so I couldn't go on visits. I was like, you know what, I'll just go to the place that showed me the most love."
 
That place was Union University in Jackson, Tennessee.

Transfer Portal
 
Schield attended Union University for two seasons, but after his sophomore season, he felt a change was needed. He entered the transfer portal, but he was unsure of what his next move would be.
 
"I hit the portal after my sophomore year, and I didn't know where I wanted to go," Schield said. "The plan was to take the whole entire fall off and transfer and go play the next fall. So, I was going to take the whole year off and focus on myself and focus on getting bigger, getting stronger [and] faster."
 
Little did he know, there was a school that would come into play and speed up that plan.  
 
Getting to IU Southeast
 
After entering the transfer portal, Schield was contacted by Kyle Hawkins. Hawkins, a former pitcher at IU Southeast, is now the Interim Assistant Athletic Director - Facilities and Operations. In 2022-23, he was an assistant coach for the Grenadier baseball team. He was the first person at IU Southeast to contact Schield.
 
"I saw his video he posted on Twitter through a couple mutual connections that I had from my time when I lived in Nashville," Hawkins said. "He was actually looking to transfer in the following summer, but we were looking for somebody at the break. I just reached out to him [with] my general spiel that I would give people just to see their interest, let them know a little about the program. Being an [alumnus], I was able to kind of talk [about] some of the things like my experiences and the success we've had and just started talking to him, discovering what he was doing and wanting."
 
Schield remembers hearing from Hawkins, who put him in connection with then head coach Ben Reel. Schield fell in love with IU Southeast almost immediately.
 
"I think Hawk actually called me," Schield said. "Hawk was the first one to connect me with Reel. Reel called me, and I fell in love with this place. I could instantly tell that this place was different. It took me a little while to really figure out I'm going to go here because I was a little hesitant with what happened at my last school, but this place was just different."
 
Schield took a visit to IU Southeast in the winter of 2022 and loved the culture. He committed and was a part of the team by January.
 
First Season as a Grenadier
 
From the first time he stepped on campus, Schield felt he was accepted by the team immediately.
 
"They instantly brought me in," Schield said. "It's really a family here. Everyone says that, but it's really a family here. It's different. It's unbelievable. I love all of them."
 
IU Southeast started out slow in Schield's first year, but he felt like they really started to come together toward the end of the season.
 
"It was a wild season," Schield said. "We started off not hot at all. It was a new team. I'm new, a lot of the guys are new. I think we had only 3 returning starters, two returning starters, something like that. Growing together…then we connected, and then we just kept winning. That was fun."
 
IU Southeast finished the season 33-20 and lost in the River States Conference Tournament Championship. After the season, Ben Reel stepped down as IU Southeast Head Coach.
Schield was sad to see Reel go, but he understands the decision.
 
"I loved Reel," Schield said. "[I] called him a bunch of times. He did what's best for him and his family. I want the best for him. I love him. If he's happy, I'm happy."
 
IU Southeast would hire Brett Neffendorf as their new head coach. Schield never wavered in his commitment to IU Southeast. He took to Neffendorf quickly and respects his knowledge of the sport.
 
"I was committed no matter what," Schield said. "The guys that came back, we're all family. There's no way I was going to leave my guys."
 
"It's been awesome. Neff's been great. He loves it. He's all ride or die baseball and I love that out of a coach. He's all for the team and I love that."
 
Neffendorf has nothing but praise for Schield, especially with how he interacted with him during the hiring process.
 
"[He is a] high character kid," Neffendorf said. "Very athletic, very energetic, and very passionate about baseball and [I] just appreciate the relationship skills that he had going through the process of the interview, and then when I got the job, making the phone call that day to have a conversation with him. Just very impressed with his passion and the type of person he is."
 
Being Versatile
 
Neffendorf praises Schield's versatility and speed on the baseball field.  
 
"He's dynamic," Neffendorf said. "He's athletic. He can really run. He's got the ability to play multiple spots, so it helps us, but it also helps him, keeps him in the lineup when we need to shuffle some other guys around. He has the ability to play all three spots in the infield and essentially all three spots in the outfield."
 
Schield understands that being versatile is important to any team.
 
"I play shortstop, but if I'm a shortstop I can play third base, second base, center field," Schield said. "I played center field last year. One thing that's big for me is versatility. I love shortstop and shortstop has taught me how to play different positions."
 
Schield has always utilized his speed, but he has been looking to utilize the skill even more.
 
"Speed's always been a part of my game," Schield said. "Reel wanted me to work on stealing more bases because he told me you have speed, use that to your advantage. I was like, alright. I'm going to commit and put my all into this."
 
Connection as a Leader
 
Neffendorf sees Schield's leadership and what he's doing for his teammates, especially the younger ones.
 
"He leads by example," Neffendorf said. "He does a great job of building relationships with teammates, being positive. [He] really tries to coach guys along, especially new guys and younger guys. He does a great job of leading by example and building relationships to then be able to coach peers when they need coaching."
 
Schield knows that as an upperclassman, he has the added responsibility of being a team leader.
 
"I know that I'm a leader on the team and a lot of guys look up to me," Schield said. "I just want to lead by example. I want to leave a lasting impact here for sure."
 
Schield noticed the newer guys looking up to the returners this fall, and that dynamic has been a positive for the team.
 
"I think it really started in the fall, just building a connection with the new guys," Schield said. "We have a lot of returners, a lot of seniors this year. I think that group, that core group, is just spreading. The vibes are infectious here. All positive vibes and I love that part."
 
The Future
 
Schield is a business management major. He wants to play baseball as long as possible but understands that there needs to be a plan for after his playing career.
 
"Obviously I want to play baseball for as long as possible, and I'm going to go for that dream," Schield said. "My career is eventually going to end, but after baseball ends, I'm probably going to be a sports agent."
 
Even after his playing career ends, Schield wants to stay around the sport.
 
"I want to work in the business side of baseball," Schield said. "I've always loved baseball, so I want to be as close to baseball as possible."
 
Schield's experience throughout college has given him an appreciation of IU Southeast and what an IU degree means for him.
 
"[An IU degree] means a lot," Schield said. "Everything I've gone through here, it's been amazing. I'm going to miss this place for sure."