'He just never ever stops': Daniel Schneemann's resolve, wife key his journey to Guardians
Daniel Schneemann worked as a delivery driver for Uber Eats to make ends meet as he trudged through the minor leagues.
The sacrifice eventually paid off.
For a little more than a year, Schneemann has been living his Major League Baseball dream with the Guardians. The accomplishment required an unconventional marathon to become a reality.
Advertisement
'I just love the game,' Schneemann told the Beacon Journal. 'That's kind of what kept me going, even through my struggles.'
Daniel Schneemann's wife Allie Hancock-Schneemann helps him navigate MLB journey
Schneemann's wife, Allie Hancock-Schneemann, also played a vital role. They met as freshmen at Brigham Young University, where he played baseball and she played softball. They were married in 2019.
Schneemann, 28, still spends his offseasons training with BYU baseball, and Hancock-Schneemann is an assistant softball coach at the school. The couple has a 2-year-old girl, Kendall, and is expecting another daughter in late August.
Advertisement
When Hancock-Schneemann isn't coaching, she's often traveling to attend Guardians games. She has visited Akron in the past because Schneemann's five-plus seasons in the minors included time with the Double-A RubberDucks in 2021 and 2022.
'She's been more supportive than anyone could have been throughout my journey,' Schneemann said.
Cleveland Guardians utility player Daniel Schneemann, BYU assistant softball coach Allie Hancock-Schneemann and their daughter, Kendall, at Progressive Field.
Daniel Schneemann's stats show his versatile contribution to the Guardians
At age 27, Schneemann made his MLB debut on June 2, 2024, at Progressive Field in Cleveland, and he's been with the Guardians ever since. This season, he's batting .243 with seven doubles, seven home runs, 18 RBIs, five stolen bases, 21 runs and a .755 OPS. A utility man, Schneemann has played primarily second base this year after making most of his 2024 appearances in the outfield and at shortstop.
Advertisement
A native of Chula Vista, California, Schneemann was drafted by Cleveland in the 33rd round (No. 1,003 overall) in 2018. Earning a roster spot in the majors took him six years.
'It's been something I've been trying to achieve my whole life, and I'm just glad I'm here,' he said.
Guardians news: 'It's baby steps': Lane Thomas returns from injury as Cleveland looks for offensive help
Cleveland Guardians utility man Daniel Schneemann and his wife, Allie Hancock-Schneemann, when they played for BYU baseball and softball, respectively.
Hancock-Schneemann began her college softball coaching career as a volunteer assistant after her final season as a player in 2019 and didn't receive a salary until the fall of 2021. During two offseasons before his wife's promotion, Schneemann delivered food and taught hitting lessons in Provo, Utah, where they reside.
Advertisement
Enduring those times has made Schneemann's Guardians experience even sweeter.
'I knew that he wasn't going to stop until he made it, and now that he's made it he's set another goal to stay here,' Hancock-Schneemann said by phone. 'He's going to do everything he can to stay up where he's at and contribute to the team.'
Guardians second baseman Daniel Schneemann turns a fifth-inning double play against the Milwaukee Brewers, May 12, 2025, in Cleveland.
Amid Cleveland's up-and-down 2025 season, Schneemann has repeatedly provided a bright spot. The Guardians (35-35) could use more of it as they seek a turnaround.
'I know what type of defender he was at BYU, and that was kind of his calling card,' BYU baseball coach Trent Pratt, Schneemann's hitting coach in college, said during a phone interview. 'Offensively, he just kept getting bigger and stronger.
Advertisement
'You just kind of have those kids that don't quit. They're going to find a way, and that's kind of how he's always been. He wasn't a big recruit out of high school. He came here, he works like crazy and got better every year.'
Guardians infielder Daniel Schneemann throws to first base falling on a fifth-inning infield single by Alec Bohm, May 11, 2025 in Cleveland.
A former standout a first base, Hancock-Schneemann has been there to toss baseballs to her husband in batting cages and hit him ground balls for fielding drills. Having someone who can listen and relate might be even more valuable.
'She's helped me with a lot of things, especially mentally staying positive,' Schneemann said.
More Cleveland Guardians coverage: 'The evolution of a starting pitcher': Gavin Williams' cutter usage a key aspect to 2025
BYU assistant softball coach Allie Hancock-Schneemann, Cleveland Guardians utility man Daniel Schneemann and their daughter, Kendall, at Huntington Park when Schneemann played for the Triple-A Columbus Clippers.
Before Hancock-Schneemann began dating Schneemann when they were BYU sophomores, he told her he had planned for baseball to be his future, and he didn't have a contingency in mind, either. His focus never wavered.
Advertisement
'Ever since then, I just knew that he was going to make it,' Hancock-Schneemann said. 'And there was a couple years in the minors where he really struggled, and I'm sure a lot of people were like, 'Oh, I don't know if this dude's going to make it, or is he going to quit?' But I always knew deep down that he was going to make it.
'Because I played a similar sport and coach that sport still, I understand how much time has to be put into it, and I know that there's going to be ups and downs, so I was able to be patient through all the downs of the grind of the minor leagues. I was just able to understand that because of playing softball and how much of a failure sport it is.'
Guardians second baseman Daniel Schneemann tags out Mariners shortstop J.P. Crawford in the fourth inning, June 14, 2025, in Seattle.
COVID-19, injury added challenges to Daniel Schneemann's path to the Guardians
Reasons for doubt emerged along the way.
Advertisement
The COVID-19 pandemic wiped out the 2020 minor-league season. Then, in July 2021, Schneemann suffered a season-ending right hand injury with Akron and underwent surgery. He needed pins inserted into his wrist, Hancock-Schneemann said.
'It was definitely stressful,' Hancock-Schneemann added. 'There were a lot of times where he was just super frustrated with how everything was going.
'But … as soon as he was allowed to do stuff with his wrist, he was right back at it early in the offseason, grinding it out, so he just never ever takes a break. As soon as the season's over, I'm like, 'Let's go on vacation. Let's take a little break.' And he's like, 'Nope.' He just never ever stops. It's kind of crazy.'
Guardians second baseman Daniel Schneemann rounds the bases after an eighth-inning solo home run at the Washington Nationals, May 6, 2025.
Still, a breakthrough was far from guaranteed. A turning point occurred after Schneemann returned from injury and struggled in 2022. He decided to gain about 25 pounds in the buildup to the 2023 season.
Advertisement
'He just said, 'I need to hit for more power. I'm going to take this offseason super seriously with what I eat,'' Hancock-Schneemann said. 'He always took it super seriously baseball-wise, like hitting and doing all that stuff.
'But that was the first time where he was like, 'I'm going to take it super seriously with what I eat and have a meal plan and gain a bunch of weight and change the way I work out.' He made a lot of changes, and it was noticeable.'
Guardians second baseman Daniel Schneemann looks on during an at-bat in the first inning against at the Detroit Tigers, May 24, 2025.
The improvement Schneemann demonstrated with Triple-A Columbus led him to the Guardians.
Nowadays, when Schneemann toils at BYU in the offseason, his old coach uses him as an example.
Advertisement
'It's good for our players to see,' Pratt said. 'I tell them, 'Hey, you guys think you want to be a big leaguer? Watch how he works every day. He's here more than you guys. He's at the field the whole time.'
'It's good for our players to see a story like him and see a kid like that and what he went through. It's like, 'Man, you can get to the big leagues.' He's a prime example of that. It wasn't easy for him.'
Yet, perseverance ultimately allowed Schneemann to go from moonlighting for Uber Eats to sticking with the Guardians.
Cleveland Guardians schedule
The Guardians have lost nine of their past 12 games and are coming off a 3-0 series defeat at the Seattle Mariners. They'll begin a three-game series at the San Francisco Giants on June 17 and a three-game series at the Athletics on June 20 before returning home to face the Toronto Blue Jays on June 24.
Advertisement
Nate Ulrich is the sports columnist of the Akron Beacon Journal and a sports features writer. Nate can be reached at nulrich@thebeaconjournal.com. On Twitter: @ByNateUlrich .
This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Daniel Schneemann sticks with Guardians as softball coach wife assists
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Associated Press
18 minutes ago
- Associated Press
Collier has 23 points, McBride 20 as Lynx dominate Sun 102-63
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Napheesa Collier scored 23 points, Kayla McBride added 20 and the Minnesota Lynx rolled to a 102-63 win over Connecticut on Sunday, the Sun's ninth straight loss. Ahead by 10 after one quarter, the Lynx scored the first 21 points of the second to lead 50-26 at halftime. Collier had 15 points in the third quarter, when Minnesota outscored the Sun 27-15. Courtney Williams had 12 points, nine rebounds, seven assists and two steals for the Lynx (14-2), who are 8-0 at home. Minnesota had 11 of 12 players score on the way to a season-high total. Only Karlie Samuelson, who sustained an ankle injury after playing three minutes in the first half, did not score. McBride had five 3-pointers, one more than the Sun, to give her 653 for her career. That moved her past Kristi Tolliver for seventh in league history. Reserve Aneesah Morrow had 16 points, 11 rebounds and five steals for the Sun (2-15), who shot 35%. Olivia Nelson-Ododa added 10 points. Most starters for both teams sat out the fourth quarter. Reserve Natisha Hiedeman had 10 points and seven assists for the Lynx, who had 27 assists on 36 baskets. Minnesota is home against Indiana on Tuesday to defend its Commissioner's Cup title. The game does not count in the regular-season standings. ___ AP WNBA:
Associated Press
22 minutes ago
- Associated Press
Ott DeFoe Wins MLF Bass Pro Tour Zenni Stage 6 at Potomac River Presented by Athletic Brewing Company
CHARLES COUNTY, Md.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jun 29, 2025-- After a week that saw Tennessee pro Ott DeFoe near the top of SCORETRACKER® leaderboard every day he was on the water, the Tennessee pro finally shot to the top when it mattered most, taking down the Zenni Stage 6 Presented by Athletic Brewing Company Championship Round for his fourth Bass Pro Tour regular-season win and fifth BPT win overall. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: Pro Ott DeFoe of Blaine, Tennessee, won the Zenni Stage 6 Presented by Athletic Brewing Company at the Potomac River with a final day catch of 32 bass weighing 78 pounds, 11 ounces, to earn the top prize of $150,000. With a dominant final-day performance, DeFoe stacked up 32 bass for 78 pounds, 11 ounces to beat his closest pursuer in Ron Nelson of Berrien Springs, Michigan by nearly 27 pounds. Nelson finished as the runner-up, his best finish on the Bass Pro Tour since joining the ranks last season. DeFoe is one of the winningest anglers in Bass Pro Tour history, behind only Jacob Wheeler and Dustin Connell, but this marks his first individual win since Heavy Hitters in 2022. It's his first regular season win since 2021 on Florida's Harris Chain of Lakes. He did it in typical DeFoe fashion, too, escaping the bulk of the 66-angler field and fishing far up a creek in the Potomac River backwaters. 'The place where I caught them today was my first stop on the first day of the tournament,' he said. 'I saw them everywhere in practice and knew it had great potential. I had some other places where I could get bites, but with an early boat number on the first day, I had to go and see if I could get there first because it's not a big area.' Fishing the same general area as fellow Championship Round qualifier Keith Carson, both got off to fast starts the first day. "[Carson] was in there with me as well, fishing a little different section, but it was a blistering start on the first day for both of us,' he said. 'I had 40 pounds by noon, but I had a later boat draw the second day, and I drove there and could see some other competitors idling back in there. I opted to turn around and leave and really struggled most of the day and barely made it to the Knockout Round.' DeFoe couldn't make any other areas work but caught enough to advance. He was all-in on the area the final two days and took advantage of the tide schedule to get as far back as possible and reach bass in ultra-shallow water during the high tide, catching many of these fish he visually saw cruising due to the clear water. 'In practice, the best bite was mid-to-lower part of the outgoing tide when the water was really moving; kind of that mid-tide zone to the bottom end of the tide,' he said. 'That's when the bite made the most sense. We only got that the first day of the tournament, though. The high tide was the best for my deal because I could get so much further back. That was the most productive for me, especially today with how high the tide was during the final days of the tournament.' Getting to ultra-shallow water was helped by the tide schedule, and DeFoe believes the recent excessive heat was also a benefit, pushing bass to the shelter in the cooler creeks. 'All of the major tributaries have a lot cooler water because it's flowing, and then you have big pad flats and cover going in for bass to relate to,' he said. 'With the extreme heat we had here, I believe it was a driving factor in why so many bass were up there. It also seemed like new fish were coming every day.' The top 10 at the Zenni Stage 6 Presented by Athletic Brewing Company on the Potomac River finished: 1st: Ott DeFoe, Blaine, Tenn., 32 bass, 78-11, $150,000 2nd: Ron Nelson, Berrien Springs, Mich., 23 bass, 51-13, $45,000 3rd: Bradley Roy, Lancaster, Ky., 20 bass, 44-11, $35,000 4th: Cole Floyd, Leesburg, Ohio, 21 bass, 43-11, $30,000 5th: Zack Birge, Blanchard, Okla., 20 bass, 41-9, $25,000 6th: Adrian Avena, Vineland, N.J., 20 bass, 40-12, $23,000 7th: James Elam, Tulsa, Okla., 18 bass, 36-7, $22,000 8th: Keith Poche, Pike Road, Ala., 15 bass, 35-7, $21,000 9th: Spencer Shuffield, Hot Springs, Ark., 15 bass, 31-1, $20,500 10th: Keith Carson, DeBary, Fla., 14 bass, 30-1, $20,000 A complete list of results can be found at Overall, there were 198 scorable bass caught weighing 434 pounds, 3 ounces, by the final 10 pros on Sunday. Pro Bradley Roy won Sunday's $1,000 Berkley Big Bass Award with a 4-pound, 9-ounce largemouth that he caught on a bladed swimjig in Period 2. Berkley awards $1,000 to the angler who weighs the heaviest bass each day. The four-day Zenni Stage 6 Presented by Athletic Brewing Company at the Potomac River was hosted by the Charles County Government, Dept. of Recreation, Parks, and Tourism, and showcased 66 of the top professional anglers in the world competing for a $150,000 top prize, a share of the $6.49 million season purse, and valuable AOY points in hopes of qualifying for the General Tire Heavy Hitters all-star event and REDCREST 2026, the Bass Pro Tour championship. Television coverage of the Zenni Stage 6 at the Potomac River Presented by Athletic Brewing Company will premiere as a two-hour episode starting at 7 a.m. ET, on Saturday, Nov. 1 on Discovery, with the Championship Round premiering on Saturday, Nov. 8. New MLF episodes premiere each Saturday morning on Discovery, with re-airings on Outdoor Channel. The 2025 Bass Pro Tour features a field of 66 of the top professional anglers in the world, competing across seven regular-season tournaments around the country, for millions of dollars and valuable points to qualify for the annual Heavy Hitters all-star event and the REDCREST 2026 championship. Proud sponsors of the 2025 MLF Bass Pro Tour include: 7Brew Coffee, Abu Garcia, Athletic Brewing, Bass Force, B&W Trailer Hitches, Bass Pro Shops, Berkley, BUBBA, E3 Sport Apparel, Fishing Clash, Grizzly, Lowrance, Mercury, MillerTech, Mossy Oak Fishing, NITRO, O'Reilly Auto Parts, Power-Pole, Rapala, Star brite, Suzuki, Toyota and Zenni. For complete details and updated information on Major League Fishing and the Bass Pro Tour, visit For regular updates, photos, tournament news and more, follow MLF's social media outlets at Facebook, X, Instagram and YouTube. About Major League Fishing Major League Fishing (MLF) is the world's largest tournament-fishing organization, producing more than 250 events annually at some of the most prestigious fisheries in the world, while broadcasting to America's living rooms on CBS, Discovery Channel, Outdoor Channel, CBS Sports Network, World Fishing Network and on demand on MyOutdoorTV (MOTV). Headquartered in Benton, Kentucky, the MLF roster of bass anglers includes the world's top pros and more than 30,000 competitors in all 50 states and 20 countries. Since its founding in 2011, MLF has advanced the sport of competitive fishing through its premier television broadcasts and livestreams and is dedicated to improving the quality of life for bass through research, education, fisheries enhancement and fish care. View source version on CONTACT: MEDIA CONTACT: JOE OPAGER DIRECTOR OF COMMUNICATIONS p: 218.434.0748 e:[email protected] KEYWORD: UNITED STATES NORTH AMERICA TENNESSEE MARYLAND INDUSTRY KEYWORD: OUTDOORS FISHING SPORTS ENTERTAINMENT TV AND RADIO SOURCE: Major League Fishing Copyright Business Wire 2025. PUB: 06/29/2025 08:07 PM/DISC: 06/29/2025 08:07 PM
Yahoo
22 minutes ago
- Yahoo
USA vs. Costa Rica live tracker: Updates, score, highlights as USMNT battle Los Ticos in Gold Cup quarterfinal
The U.S. men's national team has won three straight at the Gold Cup, but few are convinced. The victories were narrow, the performances uneven, and now the tournament gets real. Next up for the Americans: Costa Rica on Sunday in Minneapolis in the first of three potential matches that could redefine a turbulent year. Mauricio Pochettino's makeshift squad brings youth, energy and a few standout performances from Malik Tillman, Patrick Agyemang and goalkeeper Matt Freese. But they also face familiar concerns with the World Cup less that a year away. Advertisement Costa Rica, meanwhile, has looked vulnerable but gritty under Miguel Herrera. The Ticos scraped through Group A and arrive without star striker Manfred Ugalde. Still, the wily squad won't make things easy. On paper, the U.S. should advance. But on the pitch, things don't always go according to plan. Sunday, June 29 USA vs. Costa Rica (7 p.m. ET, Fox/Univision) Follow along with Yahoo Sports for live updates, highlights and more from the 2025 Gold Cup quarterfinal:
