Players

Sioux City native J.D. Scholten came out of retirement from baseball on July 6, 2024, and made an emergency start for his hometown team, the Sioux City Explorers. He went out on only three hours’ notice and tossed 6.2 innings for Sioux City, throwing 102 pitches to pick up the win over the Milwaukee Milkmen. His story captivated baseball and became news not just in the American Association but nationwide. He would tie for the team lead in wins at the end of the season with a 6-2 record with a 5.40 ERA in 60 innings.

The night before the emergency start, J.D. Scholten, a member of the Iowa House of Representatives for District 1, was just another fan at Lewis and Clark Park in a 17-9 loss to the Milwaukee Milkmen. In fewer than 24 hours later, the right-handed state representative would hold Milwaukee to two earned runs on seven hits to pick up the win11-2 win. Scholten was 44 at the time of the win and had not pitched since 2007 for the Explorers.

The next week, the emergency start turned into a second start as Scholten and the X’s swung through Fargo. J.D. and his teammates combined to end another three-game losing streak. Scholten tossed another quality start, going six innings while holding the RedHawks to one run, and the offense picked him up for a 3-1 win. He was on the stump July 20 in another winning campaign stop at home, going 5.1 innings and picking up a win over Sioux Falls. He then went 4.1 innings down in Texas against the red-hot Railroaders on July 26 with six strikeouts, getting a no decision. Scholten then returned home and faced the Lincoln Saltdogs on August 1 where he tossed 6.1 frames, holding Lincoln to two earned runs in a win, running his record to 4-0.

Scholten twirled six innings on August 18, helping secure a sweep for Sioux City over Winnipeg in Canada. On August 23 he made his triumphant return to the field at the University of Nebraska where he played for one year in college and where he earned his degree. Scholten tossed five innings there, giving up four runs in a no decision against Lincoln. The right-handed rep tied for the team lead in wins with a September 2 outing against the Cleburne Railroaders. The state-rep-turned-member-of-the-starting-rotation became a highly sought after guest on numerous national podcasts and was featured in publications across North America. CNN sent a crew to Sioux City, and Scholten and his highlights were shown statewide on television.

The National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum had asked for J.D. Scholten’s game-worn cap from his first start of the year on July 6. The only problem was that it got damaged in the bus fire and remained in a ditch somewhere between I-80 and Earlham, Iowa. Explorers VP/GM Tom Backemeyer drove to Kane County following the bus fire the team suffered overnight August 2 and spent the weekend with the team. On his drive back August 4, he found the cap in the ditch, and the lid made it to the hall of fame. Unfortunately, due to the smoke damage on the cap, there was a chance that older artifacts in the exhibit area might suffer damage as well. Instead, the hat was returned to Scholten, and the hall asked for his game-worn jersey instead, which made it to New York at season’s end.

Scholten has a full-time job serving the people of the State of Iowa and his native Sioux City as a member of the Iowa House of Representatives for District 1 as a Democrat. The district includes the area of Woodbury County, the home of the Explorers. The right-hander did play professionally during the 2023 summer in the Dutch League while the state house was on recess. With the Twins Oosterhout, he was 2-1 with a 4.50 ERA in 26 innings. Scholten struck out 31 in six games, making three starts and picking up a save. The Twins won their wild-card series but lost in the semifinal series last season in the playoffs.

Scholten has played in the Minnesota town ball league as well as Iowa amateur teams since he last played for Sioux City in 2007. He would pitch in 10 games in relief with a save in 2007, working 12 innings with an 8.25 ERA. His 2006 season saw Scholten pitch a career high 74.2 innings, going 5-4 for the X’s in 24 games while making four starts. He would strike out 33 in total that season with a 5.54 ERA and a 1.634 WHIP. He did not pitch in 2005 but spent 2004 with Sioux City going 5-2 with a 7.91 ERA and 2003 2-0 with a 4.24 ERA.

He broke into the game as a professional in 2003 with Saskatoon of the Canadian League where he was 2-2 with a 6.46 ERA. Scholten attended Morningside College, where he pitched and played first base for three years, and then transferred to the University of Nebraska–Lincoln to pitch for the Nebraska Cornhuskers as a senior. In 2002, he led the Cornhuskers in earned run average and earn his degree from Nebraska in December 2003. He played baseball and basketball at East High School in Sioux City and was born in Ames. Scholten’s father Jim was the head coach at Morningside until 2011.