NEWS PHOTO JAMES TUBB
Medicine Hat product and Mavericks catcher Zach Stark looks out to the infield during Medicine Hat's 18-4 loss at Athletic Park against the Okotoks Dawgs on June 16.
jtubb@medicinehatnews.com@ReporterTubb
Zach Stark’s trophy shelf got a little fuller Wednesday evening.
The Medicine Hat product and catcher for the Mavericks was awarded a Rawlings Gold Glove Award for his defensive play behind the plate for the Williston State College Tetons of the NJCAA Division II.
Stark found out the news while on the Mavs’ bus as they were heading to Okotoks Wednesday night to take on the Dawgs, ultimately losing 7-6. He says fellow Hatter and Maverick Tory Nelson showed him the news on his phone and he squinted for a couple of seconds to make sure it was his name. His first thought in the moment was he was happy he stuck through and battled difficulties early for the success.
“There were some times at the beginning of the year where it was a little shaky,” Stark said. “But then I trusted in God and in the process and from there I was able to get an award in his glory.”
Stark credits his turning to God and his faith in him for finding his confidence on and off the field.
“I just realized I couldn’t do stuff on my own anymore, I needed a little help from him.”
Behind the plate this college season, Stark threw out 27 runners, giving him not only one of the best percentages in the country but, putting him among the top assist leaders in the U.S. as well.
His fielding percentage was 99.5 per cent and he caught 50 games for the Tetons this spring. Stark was the sole pitch caller for a Teton pitching staff that ended the regular season with a 3.98 ERA and 360 strikeouts. Stark is committed to play next year at Mid America Christian University.
He takes a lot of pride in the work he puts into the craft and says it takes a lot of effort on both sides of the ball to be successful as a catcher.
“Catching is one of the biggest responsibilities on the field,” Stark said. “You’re leading the team and you have to play solid defence, you have to make sure your pitches aren’t rattled. You should be hitting and catching the exact same amount, so if you’re hitting for two hours then you are catching for two hours or working on stuff for an hour, same thing.”
He says the pitching staff at Williston State College helped him win the award and says he has enjoyed building that relationship with the staffs both at college and on the Mavs.
“I pitch call with my pitchers at school and here too, it helps you out more than you can imagine,” Stark said. “You’re the battery out there, you’re the guys who control the whole game. If you’re not throwing strikes, you’re not making pitches work and the other team is getting involved. You need everybody on the field to make it happen, as well.”
This summer in the Western Canadian Baseball League marks the third appearance for Stark in a Mavericks uniform. This season didn’t start off as well as he would have liked but he’s positive that is behind him and he’s ready to contribute on both sides of the ball in the 36 remaining games.
“I was kind of shaky at the beginning here, I was in my own head a little bit,” Stark said. “But I’ve been able to get out of it and now we’re ready to roll.”
He leads the Mavericks defensively behind the plate in fielding percentage (.972) with five assists and only one error in 41 innings caught.
Stark and the Mavericks were in action Thursday night at Athletic Park against the Swift Current 57’s. That game was not complete by press time, visit medicinehatnews.com/sports for a full game story.
The Mavs are in the middle of a stretch of 10 games in nine days that started with Wednesday’s loss. Stark says the recipe for staying fresh during a stretch of games like this is taking care of the body.
“Just drinking lots of water, make sure you come to field early so you get your work in,” Stark said. “You can still be are, you can be beat up but you have to be ready to perform at 7:05 p.m. We get a lot of time during the day, just have to take care of yourself and make sure you’re ready to go by that time.”
Through the Mavericks’ first 20 games with a 9-11 record entering play Thursday, Stark says there is an increased intensity and a strong will to win up and down the roster.
“Everybody loves to win on this team,” Stark said. “So a big shout out to the guys, if there was no team effort, I wouldn’t be here. So I am very happy to have all these guys in the locker room, they’re good guys.”
