My name is Kevin Zak and I’m currently a high school assistant varsity coach and hitting and infield instructor during the offseason. In high school, I was a late bloomer and the possibility of playing college baseball didn’t really become a reality until my senior year. Ultimately, I ended up at Grand Valley State University, an NCAA DII school. I didn’t know it at the time but it was the perfect fit and after a red-shirt year I was fortunate to spend the next 4 years as a starting middle infielder, receiving DII All-American honors in 3 of those years.
During my time at Grand Valley, we went on a run at the DII College World Series, finishing 3rd after being eliminated by Tampa University, who went on to win it. We also went on a humanitarian trip to Cuba and played against a Cuban national team in different stadiums across the country. These are a few of the experiences that have made me an advocate of choosing a school over division. While going DI is the goal for most high schoolers, I didn’t miss out on any opportunities by choosing a DII school and would argue I even gained some that I wouldn’t have had elsewhere.
In college, I played one summer for the Chillicothe Paints of the Prospect League and two summers for the LaCrosse Loggers of the Northwoods League. I was proud to be selected to the All-Star team in both of these leagues, and played in front of some great fans while playing on the same field as several future big leaguers.
After my college career finished, I signed with an independent professional team, the Lake Erie Crushers of the Frontier League. I played 6 different positions during my short stint there before deciding to hang it up and call it a career. Since then, I have really enjoyed coaching at my former high school and working with the players in the offseason. I enjoy the technical aspects of the game and also have a passion for the mental side of the sport.
I started this website to help educate players and families about baseball and the college recruiting process. I’ve noticed that the high school players who aren’t top-tier prospects don’t have a lot of resources for learning how to market themselves to schools, contact coaches, and just get their name out there. I’ve had a lot of help in my career from family, teammates, and coaches, and I owe a lot to this game. My goal is to help players succeed in their careers just like the people who helped me with mine.
