Introducing: Zach Malone
“If you’re playing a sport and your ultimate goal is not to make it professionally, something is wrong”.
Those words by Zach Malone himself couldn’t be more true and serve to be his determination as he strives to be the best baseball player he can be. Zach comes from the very small town of Bainbridge, Pennsylvania, – a town where he says, like Geneva, everybody seems to know everyone.
According to his father, it was at the very young age of five that Zach found his love of baseball. He can’t remember, but Zach recalls that his father guided him into playing tee-ball. As he grew older, Zach attended nearby Elizabethtown Area High School and joined that team as a pitcher and also an outfielder. His fielding and pitching skills will and have been his ultimate ticket to success in the sport.
As a pitcher, in particular, one of Zach’s goals has always been to be able to throw a ball at 90mph. He laughs as he recalls as a child wanting to pitch with speed, but not necessarily worrying where the ball went. I think those of us that played baseball can relate. He is currently very close to achieving this goal as he can throw at 88mph and the perfectionist in him won’t let him stop until he is able to do it. It’s this type of determination and perfection that can be an asset, but also a detriment. Zach recalls a time when he did very significant damage to his arm, tearing tendons. The typical recovery time from such a catastrophic injury is six to eight weeks. Zach worked with a physical therapist very diligently and was able to come back sooner and was in his words “better than before.”
There were two people in Zach’s life that without them, he would not be where he is. Zach says his father played a big part in his love for baseball. There were a few times in his early career when Zach seriously questioned if he wanted to continue playing or not. His father came to him and in his own way, was able to rekindle the flame and love of the sport.
The second person was Zach’s grandfather. At the time of this writing, Zach’s grandfather is terminally ill having suffered from kidney failure. Zach’s grandfather was that constant fan in the stands for the vast majority of his games. All of us here in the Red Wings organization would like to offer our prayers and thoughts to Zach and his family in their time of need. We are thinking of you, Sir!
When not on the baseball field, Zach is on the basketball court. As a younger child, he enjoyed hooping it up with his friends. Books and movies are also some of his hobbies. He enjoys action movies and books that have elements of mystery that make you think.
That does it for this edition of Charlies Corner, I’d like to thank Zach Malone for joining me for a very intriguing discussion.