Central classroom star Saunders shines on baseball field

Central Dutch Athletics

by Matthew Dickinson ‘21

PELLA— Central College shortstop Garrett Saunders (senior, Bonaparte, Van Buren HS) knows how to focus, both on and off the field.

That dedication has helped him become a team leader, as he’s posted a .335 career batting average and .933 fielding percentage in the stretch run of his fourth and final season in a Central uniform. He’s also taken on many responsibilities he’s learned to embrace.

“I’ve realized there are a lot more ways that I can benefit the team without elevating my level of play,” he said. “When I leave this program, I want it to be in a better spot than when I came in.”

Coach Matt Schirm likes more than Saunders’ batting average.

“His intangibles are off the charts,” Schirm said. “As good as he is as a player, that pales in comparison to his leadership.”

Saunders’ growth was accelerated in the Northwoods League, a wooden-bat league for elite college players, this past summer. He was among the only NCAA Division III players in the 20-team league which has helped propel 185 players to Major League Baseball. Saunders played for Thunder Bay in Ontario, the league’s only Canadian club.

“It made me feel like I was in Little League again,” Saunders said. “I think that, coupled with some of my success last year, has helped me understand how much this game means to me.”

Schirm has also noticed the rejuvenation in his game.

“Garrett’s always been a confident guy, but I would say that even took a step forward after he got back this year, Schirm said. “He’s an elite player, and he can compete against the best.

“At the D-III level, he can be a very dominant player.”

As if that hasn’t happened already.

Saunders was a first-team D3baseball.com All-Central Region pick last year and was tabbed for second team by ABCA/Rawlings. A two-time conference athlete of the week, he was Central’s team MVP last year. He also shines in the classroom, with a 3.88 grade point average and a biology major. He was a CoSIDA Academic All-District pick last year and a two-time academic all-conference honoree.

He fueled Central’s early turnaround this season. The Dutch posted a best-ever 10-1 record on their spring-break trip to Auburndale, Florida and are 18-9 overall after posting losing records the past two seasons. Saunders is hitting a hefty .336 with a team-high three homers, 19 RBIs and a .514 slugging percentage.

“I think a lot of it just comes from having experience and leaders in the program who have been here for a while,” Saunders said. “When you’re around guys for as long as you have, the commitment level just elevates.”

Schirm agreed.

“I think we didn’t have one bad practice inside even though it was a grind (during preseason in February),” he said. “I just think the biggest part of it is the team culture we’ve been building.”

Yet Schirm believes there is room for improvement.

“I don’t think we’ve played our best baseball yet.” he said. “I think we could play a lot better defensively and we can be more consistent on the mound. What excites me is that we’re finding a way to win games despite not always playing the best we can.”

Schirm credits Saunders’ classmates as well.

“This senior class is special because it’s my first recruiting class,” he said. “We’ve had some tough times through their career and these guys have stuck with it. The program’s going to be in a lot better place when they leave.”

After graduation, Saunders looks to take a gap year before pursuing medical school.

“I really love the (medical) field,” he said. “I come from a rural part of Iowa where some of our programs do a great job of maximizing what they can. I want to give back to the community in the way some of my own doctors have.”

Schirm has no doubt that Saunders will find success as he potentially trades one leather glove for two latex ones.

“All those intangibles: his leadership, he’s a very socially mature and intelligent person,” Schirm said. “He develops great relationships and earns respect. Whatever he chooses to do, he’s going to be successful just because of his attitude, effort, leadership and communication skills.”