Scott Oberhelman ’18 has become accustomed to the puzzled expressions and second looks from colleagues.
As a 22-year-old professional baseball scout, the more grizzled veterans aren’t sure what to make of this youngster tracking some of the best amateur players in the Cape Cod League — a collegiate summer baseball league in Massachusetts.
“It doesn’t help that I look a little younger than the rest of the crowd,” says Scott, who has spent the past two summers as a scouting intern for the Oakland A’s. “I may not have played professionally, but I played college ball for a well-respected program. I was shocked how many of the older scouts that I’ve met how quickly their tone changed when I said I played at Marietta College.”
The former honorable mention All-Ohio Athletic Conference pitcher is looking for more permanent employment as a scout. He believes his chances are good.
“The hard part for me is that I’m so young. I’m trying to get respect, and it’s hard for me because I haven’t done this for very long,” he says. “But a lot of people with the A’s have told me I’m advanced for my age.”
Scott also believes he has made an impression on the coaches and players he has interacted with the past two summers.
“If you talk the lingo, they respect you,” says Scott, who earned a Bachelor of Arts in Sports Management. “One of my buddies who didn’t play college ball couldn’t talk the lingo and (coaches and players) pick up on it.”
Marietta baseball coach Brian Brewer ’93 is not surprised that Scott is looking to have a career in baseball.
“Scotty is a true student of the game. He can identify talent, strengths, weaknesses, tendencies, etc.,” Brewer says. “As a player, Scott had arm talent but truly complemented this with his ‘baseball smarts.’ Additionally, Scott is very personable and likable. Given all of this, I could not think of a better profession for Scotty.”
Scott took the mound for some of Marietta College’s biggest baseball games the past two seasons. He finished his career in the pinstripes with a 12-5 record, 3.53 earned run average and 104 strikeouts in 165.2 innings.
“Coach Brewer doesn’t take any crap, and that has helped with the real world,” Scott says. “As a scout, you have to get your work done and get it done on time. A lot of the core values from Marietta baseball have translated over to the real world.”
He hopes to become an area scout and eventually become a national cross-checker for a Major League team.
“I like that I’m at the field every single day,” Scott says. “There’s a lot of people who think it can be lonely, but I don’t mind being by myself. Scouting is about relationships, and you find yourself talking to a lot of people.”
- Tom Perry