ORONO, Maine — Jordan Schulefand is clean-cut and polite. He looks like someone who sings in your church choir.
But when the graduate student transfer outfielder-pitcher from the University of Richmond steps between the lines for the University of Maine’s baseball team, he takes on a different personality.
“He plays with a major chip on his shoulder,” said UMaine head coach Nick Derba. “He is a very emotional player.”
“If you play against him, you’ll probably despise him,” said UMaine freshman designated hitter-first baseman Jeremiah Jenkins. “But when he’s on your team, you love him to death.”
He doesn’t care if the opponents hate him.
“I have always played with a lot of emotion,” Schulefand said. “Once I’m between those lines, I play every game like it’s my last one. I have to be the person I am. I want to win more than anything.”
He has been an important part in the Black Bears’ impressive season, which includes a 13-game winning streak, the longest in 10 years, and America East-leading 18-3 record. UMaine is 23-14 overall.
The leadoff hitter is batting .323 with 34 runs scored, nine doubles, a triple, two homers and 21 runs batted in. The Black Bear leadoff hitter is second on the team in on-base percentage at .433. He is also second in stolen bases with 20.
After a slow start, the Parkland, Florida, native has hit .400 over his last 23 games. He said his season turned around after a visit with his mother and father in Florida when UMaine was playing North Dakota State and Stetson.
He went into a store that displayed the quote: “Don’t worry about what you can’t control. But the one thing you can control is your attitude.” His attitude adjustment resulted in a ground-rule double and two well-hit balls that went for outs in a 12-1 loss to Stetson and he has been on a tear ever since.
“I just try to put good at-bats together. I don’t worry about stats,” he said. “If I have good at-bats and work the counts, the hits will take care of themselves.”
In conference games, he leads the league in batting average (.413), on-base percentage (.535) and is second in OPS (on-base percentage and slugging percentage) at 1.135 and is second in stolen bases with 17.
On the mound, he leads the team in wins with five. He has made eight appearances, six in relief, and has thrown 20 1/3 innings. He is 5-1 with a 6.64 earned run average, but the stats are misleading. He gave up seven earned runs in a first outing against nationally-ranked Louisiana State University and has posted a respectable 4.15 ERA over his last seven outings.
“He does it all. It’s awesome,” said UMaine sophomore shortstop Jake Marquez.
He is also an inspirational leader who gives pep talks to the team before every game. That started in March, when he gave a pre-game speech before a victory. So he has done it ever since. Jenkins said the team calls him “Shakespeare.”
“He keeps it honest,” Jenkins said. “He keeps everything in check.”
Schulefand also played football at Richmond and Derba said he has brought an “in-your-face, football mentality” to his leadership role which has been valuable.
Schulefand’s leadership skills can be attributed to his successful parents. His mother, Marlene Sotelo, is the executive director of the Els Center for Excellence in Jupiter, Florida, which deals with autistic patients. His father, Daniel Schulefand, is a criminal defense attorney.
Schulefand earned a degree in finance from Richmond and is working on a master’s degree in special education with a focus on autism. He mentored a student with autism this fall and called it a great experience.
“I brought him and his mother to a fall game,” he said. “The team rallied around him. It brought the team closer.”
“A lot of my determination and competitiveness comes from seeing how successful my mom is,” he said.
He came to UMaine because Derba was one of the first coaches to contact him after he entered the transfer portal.
“Coming here was the best decision I’ve ever made,” he said. “I’m so thankful I had this opportunity.”
He hopes the team can extend the winning streak and capture the tournament championship to earn an NCAA berth.