Stephen Schoch

Stephen Schoch (pronounced "shock"; born December 5, 1996) is an American former college baseball pitcher and current host of the Schoch Factor podcast.

Playing career

Schoch grew up in Laurel, Maryland, and attended Our Lady of Good Counsel High School, where he lettered in baseball in all four years. During the regular season of his senior season, Schoch recorded a 0.00 ERA in innings, striking out 45 batters and walking three. Schoch adopted a submarine-style pitching motion as a freshman in high school, which he believed would make him more attractive to college teams. After clinching the championship for the Big Train, Schoch adopted the habit of throwing his glove into the outfield after recording a save.

After transferring to the University of Virginia, Schoch played for the Cavaliers during the 2019–2020 and 2020–21 seasons, the latter season as a graduate student pursuing a master's degree in higher education. Schoch earned the save, and Dippin' Dots sent the Cavaliers a box of ice cream. MLB.com called Schoch "the NCAA's most entertaining pitcher".

Media career

To supplement his partial scholarship, Schoch worked as a landscaper, as a delivery driver for Instacart and DoorDash, and selling insurance in a call center. After discovering Rube Waddell through a podcast, Schoch went into college baseball broadcasting himself. He met Jake Mintz and Jordan Shusterman, of Céspedes Family BBQ fame. Kyle Peterson, founder of D1 Baseball, started The Schoch Factor podcast, with Mintz and Shusterman as co-hosts. Schoch has been praised for his enthusiasm and relatability as a podcaster. He supplements his time reporting on college baseball with a full-time job in real estate.