Born in Mountainside, New Jersey, Schram studied at the University of Maryland on a tennis scholarship and graduated with a degree in advertising design. Having known for a number of years that she wanted to act, she pursued roles in both film and television as well as Broadway theater. The role that initially brought her note was that of Evelyn Gardner, the Rockford Peaches' right fielder, in the Penny Marshall film A League of Their Own. Schram's character was the focus of the now famous line uttered by manager Jimmy Dugan (Tom Hanks), "There's no crying in baseball!" (Adam Thomlison, "Hollywood Q & A", (TV Tabloid / TV Media Inc.) March 24, 2018)