By JOHN BOHNENKAMP
Kooper Schulte’s first batting practice session with the Burlington Bees on Tuesday was, by his description, “pretty, pretty bad.”
His first game of the Prospect League season was a lot better.
Schulte hit for the cycle, going 5-for-5 with five runs batted in the Bees’ 12-5 win over the Quincy Doggy Paddlers in the season opener at Community Field.
“It was the first time I’d hit with a wood bat in almost a year,” Schulte said of his afternoon struggles.
Schulte opened the game with a first-inning triple. He hit a two-run home run to left field in the third inning, singled home a run in the fourth, drove in two more runs with a bloop single in the fifth, then opened the seventh inning with a double.
Schulte said he wasn’t sure about the significance of what had happened when he heard the cheers after the double into the right-center field gap that gave him the cycle.
“I asked O (Bees manager Owen Oreskovich) what was going on, and he said, ‘You just hit for the cycle,’” Schulte said, smiling.
“I knew what he needed to do, but I wasn’t going to bring it up,” Oreskovich said, laughing.
Oreskovich wasn’t sure early Monday if he was going to have Schulte for the opener. Schulte, who is from nearby New London, just finished the season with Iowa — the Hawkeyes lost to UCLA in Saturday’s Big Ten Tournament semifinals — but he sent Oreskovich a text message in the afternoon that he was going to be available.
“We had exit meetings with the coaches this morning, got back to New London by 11 o’clock this morning, and I was on my way here by noon,” Schulte said.
“I’m always glad to have that kid in the lineup,” Oreskovich said.
Schulte, who hit .268 for Iowa this season, played for the Bees in 2023, hitting .373 before a hand injury ended his season. So Oreskovich knows what he has in the shortstop.
“I think it’s the way he’s brought up, you know, especially with his father being who he is (Southeastern Community College coach Justin Schulte), one of the most winningest coaches out there right now,” Oreskovich said. “But I think it’s just the way he’s brought up with his work ethic — he’s one of the hardest workers ever. And, you know, he hates losing and he hates failing.”
The Bees broke open a 3-3 game with a four-run fourth inning capped by Keanu Spenser’s home run to deep left field. They added two runs in the fifth, two in the sixth and one in the seventh.
Everyone in the Bees’ lineup reached base. Burlington had 14 hits.
“It was awesome to see that,” Oreskovich said. “And we’ve got some guys still to come in here who can do some damage.”
The Bees went 6-23 in the first half last season, and the talk in the clubhouse before the game was about starting strong.
“These guys want to win,” Oreskovich said.
“It feels good to start out 1-0,” Schulte said. “There’s a lot of energy in here, a lot of good vibes, with a win like this.”
Parker Lewin, the second of four Bees pitchers, got the win, pitching 2 ⅓ scoreless innings.
The Bees go on the road to end the week with four games — Wednesday and Thursday at Normal and Friday and Saturday at Clinton.
“We’ve got to stay locked in,” Oreskovich said. “Going on the road is kind of always tough, especially when you’re on the road for multiple days in a row. But this is a different group, so I think they’re up for the challenge, and I don’t think it’s going to matter to them too much.”
Top photo: Bees shortstop Kooper Schulte slides into third on his first-inning triple. (Steve Cirinna/Burlington Bees)
