As a light-hitting, defense-first catcher at Burnsville High School and then North Iowa Area Community College (NIACC) with no legitimate aspirations for playing professionally, Shawn Schlechter had a lot of work to do to qualify for his current position — hitting coach for the Saints.

“I really wanted to figure out why I wasn’t any good at hitting,” Schlechter said.

That curiosity soon turned into a passion after an injury ended his playing career, and Schlechter accepted a position on the NIACC coaching staff. Seven-and-a-half years later, in the fall of 2019, his work led to an offer to join the Twins’ organization on the player development staff.

He has since moved up the organizational ladder as a hitting coach, with this being his first season in St. Paul.

Schlechter credits NIACC head coach Travis Hergert and hitting coach Pete Lauritson with igniting his interest in coaching and teaching him the intricacies of the game. Both have since gone on to coaching for major-league organizations — Hergert with Philadelphia and Lauritson with Cleveland.

Schlechter said he also was influenced by his oldest brother, Steven, the former boys hockey coach at Burnsville High School.

“What’s gotten me here is learning from people who were better (hitting teachers) than me,” Schlechter said prior to the Saints’ 6-0 loss to the Iowa Cubs on Friday night at CHS Field.

“Constantly grabbing things and trying to be as curious as possible. I’m always looking for ways to gain an edge and to be able to give these guys what they need to ultimately get what they want, and that’s to make it to the big leagues.”

Schlechter said he has three key philosophies when it comes to hitting, which he said mesh well with what the Twins were looking for when they transitioned him to the position of hitting coach.

“Recently, we’ve seen a lot of power baseball,” he said. “Impacting the baseball is important, and we’ve seen that in Twins baseball in recent years. There’s more homers being hit, and I think that is a value.

“The other thing I think we do a great job at — and I take very seriously — is making guys understand how to leverage information in their at-bats and have a good plan so they control the strike zone.

“They’re aggressive on pitches they know they can handle, and when they do make contact they are hitting line drives. The third thing is, we’re making the most contact that we can. Strikeouts are up in the game, and that’s something we are constantly trying to improve.”

As a coach at the Triple-A level, Schlechter’s goal is not any different than that of the players — get to the big leagues. To be a member of the staff of the team he grew up rooting for would only add to the thrill.

“It’s a dream of anyone in this profession to go work with the best athletes in the world,” he said. “But the reality is, I’ve gotten to this point in my career by just being where my feet are, and making sure that every day I am ready to make an impact on someone.

“To get guys to be creative thinkers and to problem solve. Right now, that’s where I’m at, and I pursue that pretty vigorously every day. If that opportunity comes one day it will be fun, but right now it’s about being the hitting coach for the St. Paul Saints.”

Briefly

Simeon Woods Richardson was scratched as the Saints’ starting pitcher for Saturday as he as added to the Twins’ roster for today’s doubleheader in Detroit..

The Saints collected seven hits but had two runners thrown out at the plate on hits to the outfield. In both cases, it took an exceptional throw on close plays.

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The Gophers football program has routinely missed out on the top in-state recruit, but the opposite has happened twice now.

Robbinsdale Cooper linebacker Emmanuel Karmo, the top-rated local prospect for the 2025 class, committed to Minnesota on Friday. Esko, Minn., safety Koi Perich first bucked the string of exits when he signed with Minnesota in last year’s class, turning down Ohio State to stay home.

Karmo, who is listed at 6-foot-3 and 225 pounds, said April 8 he has narrowed down his recruiting options to the U, Ohio State, Oregon, Penn State, Southern California, Nebraska and Wisconsin.

“I’m aware I had many opportunities to choose from and I’d like to express my appreciation for every program that recruited me,” Karmo wrote on social media. “With that being said, I’m staying HOME. ROW THE BOAT.”

Karmo, as a junior, had 62 tackles, 10 for lost yards, two sacks and two takeaways returned for touchdowns. On offense, he had 17 receptions for 294 yards and nine touchdowns.

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Out of the playoff race, the Wild are officially looking ahead over their last four regular-season games. Forward Liam Ohgren was set to make his NHL debut in Friday’s late start at Vegas, and rookie Jesper Wallstedt is scheduled to make his third NHL start on Saturday in San Jose.

Ohgren, 21, joined the Wild’s American League team for four games after his Swedish Hockey League team Färjestad BK was swept in the first round of the playoffs.

The Wild’s first-round pick in the 2022 entry draft, he was unable to participate in the Wild’s training camp this fall because of a back injury that cost him three months, but he was part of the Sweden team that lost to the U.S. in the gold medal game of the IHFF World Junior Championships in January, and he played three scoreless games in Iowa before being called up on Wednesday.

“I didn’t expect I was going to play a game this year,” Ohgren told reporters after Friday’s morning skate at the Knights’ T-Mobile Arena. “It’s been a bumpy road, but I’m really glad that I’m here.”

Ohgren, 20, was set to play left wing on a line with rookie center Marat Khustnutdinov and veteran wing Vinni Lettieri. Six-feet and 187 pounds, Ohgren called himself a power forward with skill who is responsible at both ends of the ice.

“He looks ready. I thought he looked good in practice,” head coach John Hynes told reporters after the skate. “He fit in and looks like an NHL player.”

Ohgren said he hopes to be with the Wild in 2024-25.

“I hope so. I’m going to do everything I can to make the team next year,” he said. “I feel like I’ve developed a lot this year, and I’m taking steps every time. So, I’m going to do everything I can.”

Wallstedt, 21, is penciled in to make his third NHL start against the Sharks on Saturday at SAP Center. He earned his first NHL victory last Sunday in Chicago, making 24 saves in a 4-0 victory over the Blackhawks.

Shorthanded

The Wild were without veteran forwards Mats Zuccarello and Freddy Gaudreau on Friday, each away from the team for personal reasons.

Head coach John Hynes said he was unsure if either player would return in time to play in San Jose on Saturday.

“Still up for debate,” he told reporters.

The Wild already were without veteran wing Marcus Foligno, who had season-ending surgery to repair core muscles this month.

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Are you ready for Earth Day?

St. Paul is.

The city’s parks and public works departments and local organizations are gearing up to host the 38th annual Citywide Spring Cleanup on Saturday, April 20 — Earth Day. It’s a chance for volunteers to clean up litter in parks and neighborhood streets.

“It’s turned into a St. Paul tradition,” says Andy Rodriguez, director of St. Paul Parks and Recreation.

Something is different this year, though:

Typically, we see litter emerge as the snow recedes in the spring. But, after the warmest meteorological winter on record, there hasn’t been much (or any) snow to recede

The litter, though? That’s a constant.

“If anything, it’s more noticeable this year,” Rodriguez says.

Good thing the cleanup, held rain or shine, is a popular event: Tricia Wehrle with her team at Parks and Rec usually coordinate more than 1,000 volunteers for the big day, from Scouting troops to neighbors of the city’s parks.

“We picked up 1,500 bags of trash last year,” Wehrle says. “There was over a ton of trash just at one park specifically. It’s a lot.”

Want to volunteer? Here’s how it works:

No pre-registration is necessary.
Find site locations and more at stpaul.gov — search for “citywide cleanup.” The cleanup page links to the Facebook event (“Earth Day City Wide Cleanup“). By selecting “going,” you’ll receive updates; you can also help St. Paul spread the word by sharing the event.
On Earth Day, stop by one of the kickoff sites anytime between 9 and 11:30 a.m. April 20 to check in and pick up bags and gloves. Then head out to collect litter at a park or neighborhood of choice.
Full bags of litter can be deposited in or next to any park garbage can. You can also drop full bags at one of the many drop-sites around the city (by noon April 20).

Street sweeping

Another spring cleanup is scheduled to start next week, too:

St. Paul Public Works will begin its annual spring residential street sweeping operations on Tuesday, April 16.

“City crews will sweep approximately 530 miles of residential streets throughout Saint Paul,” the city noted in a press release sent out Friday. “Public Works will then sweep more than 2,000 alleys in Saint Paul. Street sweeping operations are expected to take approximately six weeks, weather permitting.”

A dedicated volunteer

“Celebrate Earth Day at the 38th annual Citywide Spring Cleanup!” by Kathy Sidles, honorable mention. (Courtesy of Kathy Sidles)

Kathy Sidles, a park volunteer in St. Paul, found a creative way to highlight the litter she picks up on local trails and natural areas in the city: She incorporated some of the items into a diorama for the annual Pioneer Press Peeps Diorama Contest, winning an honorable mention last month.

In her diorama, the Peeps are carrying trash bags (made of paper) as they pick up litter (including old pennies) in the parkland depicted in photos that Sidles took.

“There really will be this many volunteers in Saint Paul Parks!” Sidles wrote.

Probably even more!

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