Zachary Smith '21 Recruiting Profile

I experienced early success in baseball, including leading my teams to town titles and middle school playoff final games.  As I faced better competition, I realized my batting mechanics did not translate well to faster pitchers. I have worked with a hitting coach to reconstruct my swing and have hit well in New Hampshire Division 1 JV baseball as a freshman and in New England Division 1 travel baseball. I understand the value of instruction and video review in continual improvement. 

I had success as a freshman in JV ball. From right field, I threw out runners at home in several games, twice preserving close victories in key games. I started as a pitcher just once, but threw a complete game shutout in that game. Coach rewarded me with a Most Improved award for my efforts. In high school fall ball playing against upperclassmen, I’ve started three games and pitched very well. I even struck out several players who already have college offers or scholarships. My arm is getting stronger as I grow and mature. I already throw in the low 80’s. 

I persevere through difficult circumstances. I broke my right hand playing baseball early in the travel season in the summer of 2018. Coming back six weeks later, I initially struggled with batting timing and throwing accuracy. I took extra hitting and fielding to get back to feeling like myself again. By the playoffs, I felt much better and led the team in hitting. I also threw out runners at second and home from right field and pitched one dominant inning in relief. 

I believe I will achieve success as a college baseball player. I am a good student and a hard worker. I love playing baseball and am a leader on the field and in practice.