Strong sophomore season sets up RHP J.T. Schnoor for impact at State in 2025
After getting his feet wet in the college game a season ago, the sophomore season at Pearl River Community College was special for RHP J.T. Schnoor.
Schnoor went from helping PRCC reach 20 conference wins and 45 total victories as a freshman to being a key starter in the rotation and helping his squad to a 49-10 mark and 25-3 conference record. The Wildcats ultimately finished in the Region 23 tournament with a loss to LSU-Eunice for a second-straight season, but it was a big year for the pitcher and his team.
“I think it was a really good building year going from freshman to sophomore year. Hopefully I’ll bring that momentum to Mississippi State,” the Bulldog signee said. “I want to build and get better to put myself in the best position to play. I thought my strikeout stuff really improved this year. I had pretty good strikeout numbers this year and limiting free bases. I also thought that I competed much higher than freshman year and that came with confidence.”
After throwing in 13 games his freshman year with a 3.86 ERA, 23 strikeouts and 12 walks in 18.2 innings, Schnoor found his groove this season. Schnoor started in 15 of his 17 games pitched and finished the season 12-3 with a 3.52 ERA. He threw 71.2 innings, surrendered just 28 walks and struck out 96 batters along the way. His season earned him second-team All-MACCC honors.
The production drastically improved for the Resurrection Catholic alum and sets him up to compete in Starkville right away next season. After seeing the work that pitching coach Justin Parker did with the Bulldog hurlers, he’s excited to get his turn.
“I thought (Parker) did a phenomenal job. Their ability to command the ball was much better,” Schnoor said. “Tyler Davis and Tyson Hardin were two of the guys that made the biggest improvements and they were really good throughout the year. Jurrangelo (Cijntje) and Khal (Stephen) were really good Friday/Saturday guys for them and their ability to put guys away was impressive. Khal really competed and his mound presence was the main thing.”
For the 6’4, 212-pounder, his role isn’t yet defined.
Schnoor has the arsenal to start for the Bulldogs. He throws a fastball, curveball, slider and a changeup and believes his curveball is his best pitch. The offspeed pitch is what initially drew Parker and coach Chris Lemonis to him in the first pitch and he said the changeup is a potential difference maker against lefthanders.
With a fastball already in the low 90’s, Schnoor is trying to get even stronger to allow for some more velocity behind it.
“The last few weeks, it’s been more about what I need to do to prepare myself when I get on campus. What I need to do in the weightroom and throwing wise and the mindset I need to have when I get there,” Schnoor said. “What I like about coach Parker is what he teaches about confidence. There’s going to be times where you don’t have your best stuff, but you need to have that confidence.”
Speaking of confidence, Schnoor has all of that in the State coaching staff. The Bulldogs are expected to lose a lot of experience and talent off of the 2024 roster and will have to be reloaded for February if they want to continue a push back towards the top of college baseball.
If Schnoor and his class have anything to say about it, they won’t miss a beat in 2025.
“I think they’re in really good hands,” Schnoor said. “I think things are going to be new this year with the amount of guys that we lost, but I don’t see why we shouldn’t be able to make a good run at Omaha with the guys returning and dudes we’re bringing in.”
