So in week 3 of the All-American Spotlight, we sit down with Second-team All-American Zach Huffins of Arizona Western.
JBB: So Zach, something that makes you just a bit different then most is the fact that your dad was a world-class athlete. So with his background did that help you when it came to the training side of things? To see how he did it and then implement it into what you do/did?
Z: Absolutely, if I ever had any questions about how to train or how to prepare for big games he was always there to help. He had advice that you can’t just find on the internet.
JBB: Next why did you decide to go the Junior College route?
Z: Ya know I never really dreamed of playing D1 baseball, so I wanted to know which path for me personally would allow me to get drafted and start my professional career the quickest. That just happened to be that the Juco Route for me.
JBB: Following that, was your choice to go from Indiana to Arizona based on the weather or the fact that you saw it was the best chance at you to get seen?
Z: It was a bit of both but the weather was the biggest thing for me. It would allow me to train 24/7 and 365 days a year which was something I really wanted to do because of how much I needed to improve and that was going to be the key. It also allowed me to grow a lot not just as a player but as a person. With it being such a long way from home it was an eat or be eaten thing and I like to think I chose to eat.
JBB: So, how do you think playing baseball in Arizona prepared you to play in any environment?
Z: It is a real grind. Those long bus rides at 5am to go play doubleheaders in 100+ heat really prepare you for almost everything baseball could throw at you.
JBB: So this past month you were drafted by the Rays and decided to sign. So how and where did you find out that that happened?
Z: So believe it or not, I wasn’t even watching or even listening to the draft. I was down in my basement back home playing MLB: The Show. Then when I looked down at my phone I had a snap chat my one of my best friends. When I opened it he said that I was just drafted and that’s how I found out.
JBB: Now that you are a few games in how are you liking it so far? And is there as much of a correlation as people say there is to playing Junior College ball?
Z: It’s pretty awesome so far. The competition is incredible as you’d expect but it’s awesome to see how you stack up against the best. And the correlations are 100% there. I mean we do get better meals and the buses are nicer but it is more or less the same thing just more money put into it.
Well, Zach thanks for taking the time to sit down with us and talk a bit about how and why you choose to go the Juco route. We hope you the best as you start your professional career.
[…] Zach Huffins […]