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There are a lot of things to like about Jake Zollinger the athlete, but what Woodmore baseball coach Todd Bringman likes most about this senior catcher/pitcher can't be measured by batting averages or strikeouts.
“Jake is intense,” Bringman said. “He's a fierce competitor. He's intense and he's not afraid to tell the kids what they need to do. He will get on them because he does not like to lose. Whether it's video games or ping pong, he's there to win. His older brother, Josh, was the same way but not as vocal. Very competitive, but not very vocal.”
Zollinger said he inherited his competitive nature from his brother and their father, Kurt. Josh played second base for the Wildcats a few years ago.
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| Jake Zollinger |
“I like to compete in anything I do,” Zollinger said. “I like to win. Me and my brother always used to play football in the yard, or wiffleball in the yard, and him always beating down on me made me want to win even more. I've always looked up to my brother and my dad.”
Zollinger has a key component to Woodmore's fast start this season. The Wildcats won just eight games a year ago and went 2-12 in the Suburban Lakes League, but they appear to have the ingredients to make a run at a league title.
Woodmore improved to 6-2 and 1-0 in the SLL after beating Otsego on Monday. The 'Cats, who started 6-0 before dropping a doubleheader to Port Clinton last weekend, have also beaten Fostoria St. Wendelin, Lakota, Old Fort and Fremont St. Joe (twice).
“We've got a different group of kids,” Bringman said. “It's taken us a little while, but we've got the fundamentals down. What's really gotten the kids to understand is trusting each other, having a good relationship with each other and taking care of each other on the field. If one of them makes an error, they're not on each other. They're supportive and that's really making a difference.”
Zollinger got off to a torrid start at the plate this season but has cooled off the last few games. He is still batting .370 with 10 runs and nine RBI and is perfect in four stolen base attempts. Behind the plate, he's thrown out three of six baserunners; on the mound he is 1-1 with a 2.42 ERA in 8 2/3 innings.
“He's not a power-pitcher type,” Bringman said. “He's a finesse kid who mixes speeds well. Jake is an outstanding catcher, a very good defensive catcher.”
Zollinger, who stands 5-foot-10 and weighs 180 pounds, said his favorite player is Atlanta Braves second baseman Dan Uggla (5-11, 205).
“He's a shorter guy, a thicker guy like me and I like the way he kills the ball,” Zollinger said. “He hits it as hard as anybody in the majors. He just unloads on it. When I go to the plate, I'm just trying to find my way on base, pretty much. Sometimes I go up there and swing pretty hard, but most of the time I'm just going up there to get on base.”
Zollinger's senior baseball season was nearly jeopardized last fall when, as a starting tailback and defensive back for the Wildcats' football team, he tore his MCL and missed six games.
“It's pretty much healed,” Zollinger said, adding that Woodmore's 6-2 start is due in large part to team chemistry.
“This team just really fits well together,” he said. “We all trust each other to make plays. Our chemistry is down pat and our fielding is a lot better than in past years. We used to make error after error. And, our pitching has definitely gotten a lot stronger.”
Other key contributors for the Wildcats have been sophomore catcher/DH Danny Munoz, who is hitting .480, sophomore left fielder Coleton Bihn (.429), freshman second baseman Evan Ulinski (.400) and senior pitcher David Jacobs (.300).
Jacobs is 3-1 with an 0.48 ERA in 15 innings, with 22 strikeouts and just six walks.
“He's got good velocity and he throws all three pitches (fastball, curve, change) for strikes,” Bringman said.
Two younger pitchers, junior Derek Benner and sophomore Cody Croll, are off to good starts. Benner (2-0) has a 1.68 ERA in eight innings while Croll (0-0) has a 2.71 ERA in 10 2/3 innings.
Zollinger said he hopes Woodmore can ride its early-season success all the way to an SLL title.
“It's my last year of high school and I want to go out on top,” he said. “Plus, it's the last year for the SLL. How cool would that be to go out on top in the last year of the SLL.”
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