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, 2023. Stark signed a pro contract with the Dornbirn Indians in the Baseball Bundesliga, located in Austria.
jtubb@medicinehatnews.com@ReporterTubb
After four years of college baseball, Zach Stark is getting his chance to continue his baseball career.
The Medicine Hat product and former Mavericks catcher has signed with the Dornbirn Indians in the Baseball Bundesliga, located in Austria.
He played two years at Williston State in North Dakota, winning a NJCAA Division II Rawlings Gold Glove Award and the D2 Region 13 Championship in 2023. He’s played the last two seasons at Mid-America Christian University in Oklahoma. After finishing his schooling he moved back to Alberta and started a snow removal business in Calgary this winter.
He didn’t know if a baseball opportunity would be within reach again.
“When I finished college ball in the past year, I lost a lot of things that I loved and that I thought I’d never be given back,” Stark said. “The Lord tells us whatever I take from you, I’ll either give it back to you or give you something else that is way better than what it was. So I feel like this is something way better than anything I could have expected.”
Stark will leave for Austria in March, his second time in Europe, going on a trip with family to Italy. He’s looking forward to earning his spot and proving he belongs.
“I have all the confidence in myself that I’ll be able to perform and keep securing my spot there,” Stark said. “I’m not too worried about it, but at the same time, just like any team, right, you have to be able to perform and earn your roles.”
Stark played for the Mavs in 2022 and 2023, serving a leadership role behind the plate for his hometown WCBL club. In the first season he played alongside his brothers Nathan and Josh, a dream for all three to share a team together.
Playing baseball past school was always a dream for the 25-year-old. With the opportunity right in front of him, he hopes others continue to push for their aspirations.
“People aren’t as far away from their dreams as they might think it could be, you might think for years and years just grinding for something and all of a sudden overnight, all that work could pay off,” Stark said. “So whatever your dream might be, playing pro ball or whatever, to do it with everything you got.
“Chase your dreams with everything you got and if it doesn’t work out, then at least you’ll be satisfied with the pursuit of your dream, and this was mine.”
