JD Scholten baseball stats: Sioux City Explorers call up Iowa politician to start amid pitcher shortage

The Congressional Baseball Game isn't the only place you can watch politicians play ball in 2024—just look to Sioux City, Iowa, where Iowa state representative J.D. Scholten (D) just pitched a strong outing after a 17-year hiatus from American baseball.

Scholten played baseball in various independent leagues from 2003-07, pitching for Sioux City for the majority of the time. He then took time off from the sport and eventually found himself running for Iowa congress. 

Somehow, amid his political career, he has found his way back to the diamond and has been successful in doing so. His first appearance back in his home state went as well as one could have hoped: a 6.2-inning performance where he struck out two and gave up seven hits and two runs. 

While there's no telling when his next start could be, Scholten looks to be in peak form at 44, two decades after he began his professional baseball career. So, who is the legislator-turned-ballplayer and what's his story? Learn more about Scholten and his stats below.

Who is J.D. Scholten?

Scholten (D) is a native of Iowa and attended Morningside College for three years where he played college baseball as a pitcher and third baseman. He transferred his senior year to the University of Nebraska-Lincoln to pitch for the Huskers. He graduated in December 2003 and made his debut with the Saskatoon Legends of the Canadian Baseball League the same year.

That league folded and he signed with the Sioux City Explorers of the Northern League, where he played until 2007. Throughout his career, he also had opportunities to play abroad, testing his skills in six countries besides the U.S.: Canada, Belgium, Germany, France, Cuba, and the Netherlands.

After his baseball career tentatively came to a close, he became a paralegal for several years. Eventually, in 2018, Scholten ran against Republican incumbent Steve King in Iowa's 5th congressional district for the U.S. House of Representatives. He lost 50 percent to 47 percent but still did better than expected.

In August 2019, he announced he would seek a rematch against King in the 2020 elections—except King would lose in the primary. Scholten's challenger was Randy Feenstra, who emerged victorious in the general election by a 25-point margin. 

Scholten then reverted to what he knew best, and that was the people of Iowa. In March 2022, Scholten announced his candidacy for District 1 in the Iowa House of Representatives. He was unopposed in the Democratic primary and general election and is running for re-election in 2024. 

The former baseball player dipped back into the sport in 2023, playing in the Dutch Major League. After previously talking about a return to the American Association, Scholten reached out to Explorers manager Steve Montgomery and said he wanted back in. He pitched 6.2 strong innings on July 6 and signed with the Explorers on July 7, so it's very possible more Scholten mound appearances are in the future.

J.D. Scholten career stats