FALMOUTH, Mass. — Georgia Tech was fading. It’d lost five consecutive games entering a late April series with Virginia.

But Kent Schmidt was ready. Returning from a foot injury versus UVA, the lefty first baseman became GT’s spark plug.

When he pinch hit in the first game against the Cavaliers, his name was announced at Russ Chandler Stadium to a standing ovation. After smashing a double in his first at-bat, he sent fans into a frenzy in the series finale.

With the game tied 6-6 in the 10th inning, Schmidt launched a walk-off homer off a light pole in left, snapping the Yellow Jackets’ skid. Everyone went berserk. Still feeling the effects of his injury, Schmidt limped around the bases, flexing his muscles and tossing his helmet aside before he was mobbed at home.

“I wasn’t even cleared to jump, but I stepped on home and I was just jumping up and down,” Schmidt said. “I don't really remember rounding the bases or anything.”

Schmidt was back. And so was Georgia Tech, which ultimately advanced to the College World Series Regionals.

Schmidt’s clutch knock wasn’t a fluke. Current head coach James Ramsey said the rising junior acted as Georgia Tech’s “unsung hero” in a lineup ripe with stars like Drew Burress, Alex Hernandez and Kyle Lodise. After transferring in from Georgia Southern, Schmidt led the Atlantic Coast Conference in batting average (.397) in 2025 while becoming a fan favorite, partly for swinging a bat decorated with a custom-printed hot dog.

Now, the Marietta, Georgia, native has spent the summer with the Cape Cod Baseball League’s Falmouth Commodores. He’s filled a similar role, propelled by his stellar season at GT.

“Everyone's deserving of all the praise they get, but Schmidty sometimes was the next guy up,” Ramsey said. “He’s blazing his own trail in the midst of all those other superstars.”

With Falmouth, Schmidt started slowly. Still, he said he was catching barrels, which eventually translated to hits. His .282/.367/.376 slashline, plus two homers and 16 RBIs, led to his selection as a CCBL All-Star Game starter.

“I think he wants to come here and make a name for himself. He definitely wants to get drafted,” Schmidt’s dad, Greg, said. “He has the training and I think he has the game to pursue that goal.”

Out of high school, Schmidt wasn’t heavily recruited. He originally committed to Winthrop in his junior year, but that changed after a strong junior season at Pope High School (Georgia).

Schmidt didn’t talk to any Power 4 schools, as he searched for a mid-major where he could play instantly. He settled on Georgia Southern because of the strong competition in the Sun Belt, which both Schmidt and his dad considered a “top 5 college baseball conference.”

Though he didn’t play until the fourth game of the season — ironically, against Georgia Tech — Schmidt shined with the Eagles. After notching his first hit and RBI versus his future team, he finished playing 56 games and slashing .321/.432/.425.

Despite his success, Schmidt wanted more individual training, his mother Carla said. He entered the transfer portal once the season ended. Immediately after, he texted Pope teammate and GT shortstop Carson Kerce. They both agreed they needed to make the reunion happen.

Ramsey also had Schmidt at the top of his list. On an official visit, the Georgia Tech coach analyzed Schmidt’s film to show him where they could take his game. Although he heavily considered Troy University, Schmidt committed to GT soon after because of Ramsey’s expertise as a former MLB first-round pick.

“As soon as I entered, I was texting Carson and I was like, ‘Help me out,’” Schmidt said. “And then Ramsey called me. Ramsey's a hitting genius, and I know I entered the portal to develop hitting wise.”

Schmidt was headed down the same path as another Pope star — Washington Nationals first baseman Nathaniel Lowe. Pope head coach Chris Turco and former assistant coach Al Zabransky said the two had many similarities.

Lowe started college at Mercer. Schmidt was at Georgia Southern. Then, they each jumped to Power 4 schools. Even Schmidt’s 6-foot, 220-pound frame and strong first-base defense mirrored Lowe. He joins Lowe as two of Pope’s best players ever, said Turco.

The next step? Schmidt wants to make it to MLB like Lowe and Lowe’s brother, Josh, another Pope alumni.

“(Schmidt’s) potential just keeps getting better, and it's like Nate where people just eventually discover, this guy is really, really good,” Zabransky said.

Schmidt took the first stride toward his goal this year in his debut with the Yellow Jackets.

Schmidt’s “consistent approach” helped him succeed, Ramsey said. He’s a swing-first hitter who also walks at a high rate. In high school, Turco often called Schmidt “Todd Helton Jr.” because he had similar bat-to-ball skills as the MLB Hall of Famer.

Ramsey counseled Schmidt to pull the ball in the air more. Through GT’s series with Virginia Tech in March, Ramsey estimated Schmidt had go-ahead or game-tying RBIs in half of its games.

And he did it all while sporting the “hot dog bat.”

After a preseason scrimmage, assistant coach Josh Schulman was breaking down film with the team. On one play, Schmidt wasn’t in place for a cutoff. Schulman grilled him, joking that he must have been hanging out eating a hot dog instead of playing his position.

The jab turned into a running joke. Later that week, Schmidt was aimlessly scrolling through the website of GT’s bat sponsor, 44 Pro, when he found one with a hot dog printed on it.

“Would y'all be mad if I swung this?” he asked his coaches.

“Dude, freaking do it,” they responded.

The rest is history. Schmidt used the bat all year, earning national attention when college baseball influencer Stephen Schoch posted about it on Twitter. He quickly became beloved at GT for his play and personality.

“He's a goofball at heart, and he is not afraid to laugh at himself,” his mother said. “The hot dog bat is perfection for him.”

That worked until his campaign was derailed. In a “freak accident,” Schmidt suffered a staph infection in his toe in mid-March. Initially, he thought he’d still travel to GT’s series at Notre Dame. Instead, he was forced to stay in the hospital for two nights after his foot was drained.

Schmidt thought he’d be cleared to play after leaving the hospital. But he also needed surgery, making him miss another month.

“I was shocked at first,” Schmidt said. “I was like, there's no way this is about to hold me out.”

But it was just a bump in the road, Schmidt’s brother Grant said. During games, Schmidt sent tweets from his hospital bed poking fun at his teammates. He kept it up during his rehab.

Schmidt had overcome injuries before. In high school and with his travel team, the Sandy Plains Prowlers, he endured numerous setbacks — mononucleosis, a foot injury and a fractured leg, Prowlers coach Mike Tamucci said.

When he was 12, Schmidt pulled his hamstring days before the Prowlers competed at Cooperstown Dreams Park. Via dry needling and cupping with a physical therapist, he still played in the tournament despite not being 100% healthy.

Tamucci batted him ninth in the lineup in case he couldn’t finish a game. But Schmidt fought through his injury, even pitching a few innings to snag second place among 104 teams.

“I think the injury this year was just another injury, and he knows how to handle that,” Tamucci said. “He knew what it took to get back.”

Just as he did for the Prowlers, Schmidt returned for Georgia Tech. He saved the season with his heroics against Virginia.

Many players would’ve started cold, Tamucci said. But Schmidt’s timing hadn’t suffered at all. His four-RBI series versus the Cavaliers sparked the Yellow Jackets’ rebound.

With Georgia Tech slipping in the ACC standings, Schmidt returned for the final 14 games of the regular season and batted 20-for-54 (.370) with 14 RBIs. His surge pushed the Yellow Jackets from potentially missing the College World Series Regionals to ACC regular-season champions.

Despite GT falling to Ole Miss in the Oxford Regional, Schmidt was the motor it needed to revive its campaign.

“He's so valuable to us,” Ramsey said. “When he got back, hitting that walk-off against Virginia was one of those goosebumps moments that helped propel us to have a really great finish.”

Now, Schmidt is playing that same role for Falmouth.

He doesn’t have the most power on the team. He isn’t the best defender. He isn’t even hitting for the highest average. But just like he did at GT, he’s come through when the Commodores need new life, including knocking a game-winning RBI single in a 7-6 victory over Cotuit on July 11.

Schmidt enjoys being that unsung hero, despite being recognized as a CCBL All-Star. He doesn’t need appreciation, he just wants to be Kent.

“I don't think he feels like he needs to be the poster boy,” Carla said. “He does well under pressure, but sometimes you can just sit in it and be yourself.”

Noah Nussbaum is the beat reporter for the Falmouth Commodores. You can read all of his articles on the Commodores here.