Photography by Steve Buchanan
Kent Island recent graduate Caeden Shultz is the definition of a complete high school catcher. Shultz hits powerfully and consistently, and plays outstanding defense in a variety of ways.
The 5-foot-11, 205-pound catcher knows how skilled he is, and he isn’t afraid to say so. His size is one of his biggest assets and he is very solid at blocking balls in the dirt, framing pitches, and throwing out base runners.
“I have played against some great catchers, but I feel like I am one of the better catchers in the region,” Shultz explains. “I am definitely known as a defensive threat to opposing teams.”
Shultz will play baseball at Messiah University in Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania, on an academic scholarship, where he’ll major in sports management after carrying a 3.9 grade-point average at Kent Island. The college team features two top-notch catchers, plus Coach Phil Shallenberger, himself a former high school and college catcher.
Those attributes appealed to the 18-year-old Shultz when he compared Messiah to Frostburg State and York College.
“I want to become a well-rounded catcher, but no one is perfect,” says Shultz, whose career goal is to work in the front office of a professional sports franchise. “I am still perfecting my craft. Every aspect of my game. I am definitely a stronger defender. I am still looking to develop my skills.”
Coach Shallenberger is more than glad to work with Shultz and loves the player’s makeup. He says Shultz possesses all the tools to be successful at the college level.
“When we look at catchers, we look at defense first,” Shallenberger says. “We are pretty excited to see how he grows into a college catcher. He plays with a sense of confidence behind the plate. He is an incredible leader, commanding the game behind the plate.”
To stay focused on getting bigger, stronger, and faster, he’s doing a workout program concentrating on power and explosiveness given to him by the Messiah coaching staff. Schultz trains for two hours per day across four days a week.
Shultz had a great career at Kent Island. He started for three years and earned All-Bayside Conference First-Team honors as both a junior and senior.
His junior year was his best. He batted .308, led the team in home runs, totaled 12 RBIs, and was given the team’s best defensive player award. Shultz helped Kent Island reach the Class 2A regional championship game for the second straight season.
“I think he will be a great college hitter,” Shallenberger says. “His size plays into that with hitting for power.”
Defensively, Shultz threw out more than 40 percent of the baserunners attempting to steal on him the past two years and only allowed six passed balls in that time span.
Shultz played other sports, too. He was a member of the varsity golf team for three years before joining the varsity football team as a placekicker in the fall of 2022. In the winter, he participated in Kent Island’s Unified Strength and Conditioning, which partnered with area Special Olympics competitors.
Shultz also served as president of the school’s National Honor Society Chapter and received the Ben Carson Scholar Award seven times.
“I wanted to go against that typical stereotype of athletes being a jock—not a smart individual,” Shultz says. “I want to be a well-rounded individual on and off the field.”
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