When the 2025 Major League Baseball Draft takes place on July 13-14, in Atlanta, Tyrone alumnus and current University of Cincinnati relief pitcher Rodney Shultz hopes to hear his name called.
If it happens, he will join a very short list of former Tyrone players chosen in the MLB draft, which includes alum Anthoney Sharer, drafted in the 23rd round by the Pittsburgh Pirates in 1993, and Jake Belinda, drafted by the Atlanta Braves in the 10th round of the 2017 draft. Tyrone grad Scott Gummo was not drafted, but was signed as an undrafted free agent by the Tampa Bay Devil Rays shortly after the 2006 draft.
Shultz’s baseball roots run deep in Tyrone. He was a key figure in revitalizing Tyrone Area High School’s baseball program, helping to lead the Golden Eagles to their first PIAA Baseball State Championship in 2021.
Shultz began his collegiate baseball career at the University of Pittsburgh at Johnstown but transferred to the University of Cincinnati for his senior season, where he is now embracing the challenge of competing at the Division I level.
Shultz said that he has enjoyed his time as a Bearcat as he continues to develop his game, face better competition, and improve his chances of playing pro ball after this season.
“Getting better facilities and training has really helped me develop more and more every day,” said Shultz. “The dream has always been to play pro ball, and ever since coming to Cincinnati, we have been playing in front of scouts. It’s a super cool experience.”
Shultz is a right-handed pitcher who throws in the mid-90s. He has appeared in 20 games this season for the Bearcats, posting a 6.88 ERA with 26 strikeouts and only 8 walks through 34 innings pitched.
Cincinnati won their first round game in the Big 12 tournament yesterday over Texas Tech 6-5, and will play today in the quarterfinals vs.WVU.
Tyrone Baseball
Shultz’s baseball journey began on Tyrone’s T-Ball and Little League fields, guided by the steady encouragement of his father, Rodney Shultz, Sr.
In the early stages of his baseball career, Shultz didn’t heavily rely on his size and developed as a ball player thanks to his father.
“I was never the biggest or fastest on the field at an early age, but developed a love for the game by just training and learning the game with my dad, who really helped me develop my game at a young age,” Shultz said.
Shultz recalls spending quality time with his father at the field nearly every Sunday after church, where he would practice by taking extra swings and fielding groundballs.
When Shultz and his classmates arrived on the high school team as freshmen, they brought a new winning attitude to the Tyrone varsity program.
“Tyrone wasn’t really a respected team in the Mountain League, so it was cool to see us bring that respect back,” said Shultz.
Shultz was in the starting rotation as a freshman, finishing with the best ERA on the team (2.33) through seven appearances. When not on the mound, Shultz played middle infield. He was a great fielder in consistency and execution. He had just one error and was involved in turning five double plays.
“When Rodney came to us as a freshman, he already had such a passion for the game,” said head coach Kevin Soellner, “He had made up his mind he was going to do whatever it takes to achieve his goals. He pitched as a freshman a good bit and had command of how he wanted to approach the at bat.”
Shultz played well as a freshman, but the season was a disappointment for the team. They finished with a 5-13 record and missed the playoffs. However, by starting Shultz and several other underclassmen, they built the foundation for a legendary high school career that ended with a state championship.
Shultz had an outstanding sophomore season, lowering his ERA to 1.46, almost unheard of in high school baseball. The Eagles also had a good year, finishing with an 18-4 record, placing first in the Mountain League. However, they lost in the district semifinals to Mount Union, missing the championship game and the state playoffs.
Tyrone was looking to avenge its semifinal loss in his junior season, but sadly, the Eagles didn’t play a single game due to the COVID-19 pandemic, which canceled all sports for the spring season.
Without a 2020 season, Shultz and many of his teammates committed to working hard in the offseason for one final run as a senior in 2021.
Their senior season started with three losses before they turned things around at the annual Curve Classic, which they won with an exciting 5-4 victory against State College in the championship game.
After the impressive tournament run, the Golden Eagles were undefeated for the remainder of the regular season, ending with a strong 18-3 record.
Led by seniors Brandon Lucas (.421) and Shultz (.362), the Golden Eagles were ready to make a historic playoff run.
They breezed through the first two rounds in the district playoffs, led by strong pitching from Shultz and fellow senior standout Aiden Coleman, who Tyrone rode with on the mound for the majority of the playoffs.
However, they fell short of their district title dreams with an 11-1 loss in the championship game to rival Central. But the loss wasn’t the end for the Eagles, as both teams qualified for the state tournament.
Shultz and Coleman again led the Eagles through the first two rounds of the state tournament, and they met Central for the fourth time that season in the state semifinals.
This time, Shultz had an amazing start with Coleman coming in to close, and the Golden Eagles advanced to the state championship game with a 4-2 win.
They won the state championship 5-0 against Oley Valley, solidifying the team’s spot in Tyrone sports history.
“The state championship was something my teammates and I will never forget. It was awesome to bring the championship to Tyrone,” said Shultz, “I hope to be able to give back to the community of Tyrone someday and share my baseball experiences and help some young ball players out.”
When reflecting on his high school years, Shultz said Tyrone will always have a place in his heart, as it was a huge part of his journey.
“Playing baseball in Tyrone was special,” said Shultz, “We had tons of athletes in Tyrone who also played baseball and were able to win a lot of ball games from Little League the whole way up to high school.”
Tyrone Head Coach Kevn Soellner credits Shultz for instilling a positive work ethic in his teammates.
“He was one of the hardest workers I have ever coached,” Soellner said.
Pitt-Johnstown
Shultz began his collegiate career at the University of Pittsburgh-Johnstown in the fall of 2021.
He had some interest from a couple of Division I schools, but decided on Division II UPJ because he wanted to stay close to home and start as a freshman.
As a freshman, he was named the opening day starter and had a solid year with a 5.37 ERA, leading the team in innings pitched with 62 and was third in strikeouts, sitting down 46 batters on the season.
He went 7-2 in his sophomore year at UPJ and led the team in innings pitched (61.2) and strikeouts (48), and he was ranked 81st in the nation for Division II pitching wins.
In his junior season as the team’s ace, Shultz started 12 games, led the team in strikeouts with 82, and even threw a no-hitter against Mercyhurst on April 20th, 2024.
“Being named the game one starter as a freshman was awesome,” said Shultz, “Another great memory was throwing a no-hitter against Mercyhurst in 35-degree weather.”
With his dominating junior season, Shultz received numerous accolades and recognitions, including being named First-Team All-PSAC West, PSAC West Co-Pitcher of the Week, and D2 Baseball National Pitcher of the Week after throwing his no-hitter.
Shultz also began to be recognized on the national level, which he capitalized on with a strong performance in the MLB Draft League last summer.
MLB Draft League (Crosscutters)
Shultz played for the Williamsport Crosscutters in the MLB Draft League in the summer of 2024.
With the Crosscutters, he put up an impressive 3.08 ERA against some of the best competition he has faced.
“The hitters [in the MLB Draft League] are unreal. The majority of them are Division I ballplayers, or high school kids who will get picked in the draft this year. It’s just a great experience to throw against that level of competition,” Shultz said.
After his junior year at UPJ, Shultz decided it was time to switch to a larger program with better competition, where he will get more chances to be noticed by professional teams.
“I wanted to challenge myself. I was having success and was in a comfortable position at UPJ,” said Shultz, “but I knew if I wanted to get better and develop my game, I would have to step out of my comfort zone.”
With the attention Shultz has been getting at the Division I level, plus his experience last summer in the MLB Draft League, Shultz thinks he has a very good chance of being picked up in the later rounds of the upcoming MLB draft.
Even if he doesn’t get picked in the draft, he could sign as an undrafted free agent after the draft. Either way, he hopes to start his journey into professional baseball this summer.
“The MLB scouting process has been good,” said Shultz, “Hopefully I get the opportunity to play pro ball after this season, but I am just following God’s plan and trusting the process.”
With time left to show what he has before the draft on July 13th and 14th, no matter what happens, it will be the beginning of the next chapter of Shultz’s baseball story.
