[5] After completing his degree at Creighton, Schrage accepted a position as a graduate assistant at St. Thomas, working for Paul Mainieri in 1984.
He would remain with the Panthers for nine seasons, improving the team's win totals from 2 to 18 during his tenure and earning a pair of Missouri Valley Conference Coach of the Year awards.
He would be honored as the only person to be named All-Conference and Coach of the Year in baseball by the MVC at their Centennial Celebration.
[6] Schrage then moved to Evansville, where he led the Purple Aces to 130 wins and a regional final in the 2006 NCAA tournament.
Schrage then earned what he called his dream job, succeeding Mainieri as head coach at Notre Dame.