Why Knoch baseball 7-footer Zane Pacek committed to pitch at Central Michigan
Spending time fishing with his father in their backyard pond Sunday, Zane Pacek hooked three 1-pound bass and a major life decision.
Knoch’s 7-foot, rising senior pitcher pledged to play baseball at Central Michigan on Monday, writing he was “100% committed” to the Chippewas on X.
“I was just sitting out fishing with my dad, we were talking a lot and I think it was a great place,” Pacek said. “I talked to the coaches. They were all pitchers. ... And their pitching philosophy that I got to learn from them, from just talking to them, I really liked.”
Pacek decided to focus solely on baseball this offseason, giving up basketball, and visited Central Michigan late last month. On July 2, he received an offer from the Chippewas, his first from a Division I program. The offer gave him peace of mind as he continues to grind on the travel scene and ahead of his final campaign at Knoch next year.
“You don’t have to worry about, ‘Oh, what level am I going to play at? Where am I going to play at?” Pacek said last week, adding Mt. Pleasant, Mich., reminded him of a larger Slippery Rock. “Finding a place, it’s almost like the place found me. ... It just kind of worked out that way that they saw me. I really liked it up there.”
Pacek threw a no-hitter against Greensburg Salem last year and helped the Knights make the WPIAL Class 4A postseason.
Chippewas head coach Jake Sabol pitched at the school and was drafted by the Detroit Tigers in 2011. Assistant coach Aaron Hilt and director of pitching performance Jonathan Vance were all hurlers themselves. Their approach stood out to Pacek.
“In the offseason ... you get to take an hour with one of the coaches and just talk about pitch design and where to place it and who to place it on — what type of batter — and how their hands are placed,” Pacek said. “I think it’s really personal, and I like that part.”
Pacek’s arsenal is made up of four-seam and two-seam fastballs, a split change, a curveball and a slider. His fastball is clocking between 85-87 mph and tops out at 88. He works with former Slippery Rock University All-PSAC West pitcher Ricky Mineo and hopes to push it to 90 mph by the time he takes the mound for Knoch next spring.
