| Augie Schmidt | |||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Carthage Firebirds | |||||||||||||||
| Manager | |||||||||||||||
| Born: (1962-08-10)August 10, 1962 (age 62) Kenosha, Wisconsin, U.S. | |||||||||||||||
Bats: Right Throws: Right | |||||||||||||||
Medals
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August Robert Schmidt IV (born June 28, 1961) is the currenthead coach of theCarthage College baseball team. He was aminor league baseballshortstop from 1982 to 1986.
Schmidt attendedMary D. Bradford High School inKenosha. He was drafted by theCincinnati Reds in the ninth round (230th overall) of the1979 Major League Baseball Draft, but he did not sign with the team.[1] Instead, he attended theUniversity of New Orleans, where he playedcollege baseball.
In 1981 he won a gold medal as a member of the United States national team inWorld Games I.
In 1982 he won theGolden Spikes Award, an award given to the top amateur baseball player in the United States.[2]
Schmidt was drafted second overall in the1982 Major League Baseball Draft by theToronto Blue Jays. After signing with the team, he spent the rest of the 1982 season with theKinston Blue Jays, hitting .297 in 50 games.[3]
The following season he was promoted to theKnoxville Blue Jays, where he played in 135 games with a batting average of .266 and 28 doubles.[3]
In 1984, he was again promoted, splitting time between Knoxville and theSyracuse Chiefs of the International League, although there he had problems with both his fielding and hitting and only had a batting average of .201 in 46 games.[4]
Despite advancing toTriple-A by 1984, Schmidt never made the major leagues with the Blue Jays, because of issues with injuries and a logjam at shortstop in the Blue Jays organization.[5] At the end Schmidt was traded to theSan Francisco Giants along withJim Gott for pitcherGary Lavelle; he began the season with thePhoenix Giants, getting a fresh start in 1985.[5] He played in 59 games for Phoenix and 12 more for theShreveport Captains, then spent the 1986 season with theKenosha Twins of theMinnesota Twins organization, where he hit .226 in 71 games.[3]
He retired in 1986 and in 1987 was an assistant coach atCarthage College in his hometown ofKenosha, Wisconsin, where his father, Augie Schmidt III, had been head coach from 1962 to 1980. He became the head baseball coach in 1988, and has been the head coach since.[6] On October 1st, 2024 Augie Schmidt announced his retirement from coaching at the conclusion of the 2025 season. He named John Lequia his successor.[7]
Schmidt's nephew,Gavin Lux, is an infielder and outfielder for theCincinnati Reds.[8]
