By Cody Stark
There have been some talented players come through the Sam Houston State baseball program the past few seasons who had a big hand in the Bearkats’ run to back-to-back Southland Conference tournament titles.
Guys like Keith Stein, Todd Sebek and Bobby Verbick have earned a spot in Bearkat lore with memorable plays, big-time hits and eye popping stats. Senior Nick Zaleski is hoping to add his name to that list when Sam Houston tries to earn its third consecutive trip to the NCAA regionals when the SLC tournament begins today at Whataburger Field in Corpus Christi.
But unlike Stein, Sebek and Verbick, who all transferred into the program, Zaleski is in a unique position. The three-year starter is a career Bearkat, joining the squad as a freshman out of Clements High School in 2005 and could become the first SHSU player to win three SLC tournament championships.
“He has had a great career here and is the guy who has been grinding it out for four years in the Bearkat uniform,” SHSU head coach Mark Johnson said. “We have had some transfer guys that were seniors, but Nick is the Bearkat of all Bearkats since I have been around. He is very reliable and always comes ready to play.”
The phrase that a player has seen the highs and lows of a program is thrown around quite a bit, but for Zaleski it couldn’t be truer. As a freshman in 2006 under then head coach Chris Rupp, Zaleski played in 29 games on a team that went 23-31 overall and 12-18 in league play as the Bearkats missed out on the SLC tournament for the sixth straight season.
That’s when Johnson took over the program after a long and successful stint at Texas A&M.; Sam Houston has won 109 games over the past three seasons, including an 8-0 record in the SLC tournament.
“When coach Johnson got here it was a change for the better,” Zaleski said. “The back-to-back championships were a lot of fun and we have had two great years here. I’m looking for that third championship in a row.”
As a sophomore, Zaleski took on a more prominent roll under Johnson. He started 52 games and hit .286. Sam Houston earned the fourth seed in the league tournament and rolled to the title with four straight victories.
The Bearkats earned a spot in the Oxford (Miss.) Regional and won two games, including a thrilling 12-11 victory over Southern Miss in 11 innings, before being eliminated by Ole Miss in the finals.
Zaleski was better as a junior. He hit .317 with eight home runs and led the Bearkats’ stout lineup with 61 RBIs. Sam Houston was once again the fourth seed in the SLC tournament and again went 4-0 to hoist the trophy in front of the hometown fans at Don Sanders Stadium.
Zaleski has saved his best season for his last. He went 3-for-4 in the regular-season finale to push his average to .421 heading into the postseason. He also leads the team in RBIs (54) and is second in home runs (eight).
The Bearkats (18-14 in SLC, 32-22 overall) didn’t finish as high as they wanted and enter the league tournament as the seventh seed and will face second-seeded Southeastern Louisiana today at noon. But one thing Zaleski has learned the previous two seasons is that Johnson is a master at getting his team hot at the right moment.
“We had a great team those two years and we have a great team this year,” the All-SLC first baseman said. “We have had a chance to win the regular-season championship all three years that coach Johnson has been here. One of the things he does that has helped us be on top at the end is that he conditions us a lot to be ready for the whole duration of the season.
“A lot of contributions go to him. He gets us clicking on all cylinders at the same time. It’s hard to describe it, but everyone is playing 100 percent and we don’t make a bunch of mistakes.”
It’s not just Johnson that has had the Bearkats as the team to beat at this point in the season the past two years. Guys like Stein, Sebek and Verbick, and now Zaleski, who are unselfish players that do what it takes to win, have also had a hand in it.
Sam Houston State has been undermanned the last few weeks, but Zaleski has given the lineup some wiggle room. The senior has started the majority of his career at first base, while also seeing some time in left field.
So if Johnson needs Zaleski to shuffle to a new position in a pinch this week, he knows he can trust on old reliable.
“It’s important for a coach to have a Nick Zaleski that is ready to go and will play wherever we put him,” Johnson said. “He will play first base, he’ll DH and would play anywhere if I put him there. When I think about him, I just think reliability because I can depend on him to play where we need him. He is a very, very special guy.”
Southland Conference Tournament Capsules
No. 1 Texas State
Record: 24-7 in SLC, 38-14 overall
Record against tournament field: 14-6
Key wins: The Bobcats beat Baylor (5-3), Rice (4-1) and Texas A&M; (13-4)
Players to watch: Southland Conference Player and Hitter of the Year Paul Goldschmidt (.355 average, 16 home runs and 77 RBIs), Pitcher of the Year Kane Holbrooks (9-1, 3.40 ERA), Newcomer of the Year Keith Prestridge (.384, seven HRs and 46 RBIs), All-SLC outfielder Spenser Dennis (.411, six HRs and 47 RBIs).
No. 2 Southeastern Louisiana
Record: 21-12, 35-20
Record against tournament field: 11-10
Key wins: The Lions beat Tulane (5-3 and 11-9) and Eastern Illinois (8-6)
Players to watch: Outfielder Brandon Street (.344, seven HRs and 57 RBIs), first baseman Joe Sparacino (.343, 15 doubles and 42 RBIs), pitcher Chris Franklin (4-2, 3.10 ERA) and pitcher Ryan Boudreaux (6-4, 4.76 ERA).
No. 3 Texas-San Antonio
Record: 20-12, 31-23
Record against tournament field: 10-8
Key wins: The Roadrunners beat Oral Roberts (11-8) and Dallas Baptist (4-3)
Players to watch: All-SLC third baseman Lance Brown (.368, 16 doubles and 38 RBIs), All-SLC outfielder Michael Rockett (.396, 14 HRs and 54 RBIs), All-SLC outfielder Jose Hernandez (.360, 15 HRs and 57 RBIs) and All-SLC second baseman Ryan Hutson (.343, 17 HRs and 57 RBIs).
No. 4 Lamar
Record: 20-13, 36-20
Record against tournament field: 11-10
Key wins: The Cardinals beat Texas State (8-1)
Players to watch: Freshman of the Year and All-SLC pitcher Eric Harrington (8-1, 2.59 ERA), All-SLC second baseman Brian Taylor (.381, seven HRs and 59 RBIs) and All-SLC pitcher Ricky Testa (7-3, 4.19 ERA)
No. 5 Texas-Arlington
Record: 19-13, 29-24
Record against tournament field: 11-9
Key wins: The Mavericks beat Minnesota (6-2 and 12-5), Baylor (5-4) and Oklahoma (8-5)
Players to watch: All-SLC outfielders Michael Choice (.407, 11 HRs and 52 RBIs) and Matt Otteman (.433, eight triples, seven HRs and 65 RBIs), All-SLC designated hitter Andrew Kainer (.412, 23 doubles and 44 RBIs) and All-SLC pitcher Nathan Long (5-4, 3.75 ERA).
No. 6 Northwestern State
Record: 18-13, 26-24
Record against tournament field: 8-11
Key wins: The Demons beat Tulane (10-6) and took two of three from Southeastern Louisiana in final SLC series to earn the sixth seed
Players to watch: All-SLC shortstop Trent Grondin (.324 and 11 doubles), All-SLC pitcher Jimmy Heard (7-3, 4.57 ERA), first baseman Justin O’Neal (.373, 11 HRs and 52 RBIs) and second baseman Chase Lyles (.368, 14 HRs and 45 RBIs).
No. 7 Sam Houston State
Record: 18-14, 32-22
Record against tournament field: 9-12
Key wins: The Bearkats beat Creighton (8-6, 4-3, 7-5 and 5-4), Rice (8-6) and Baylor (9-8)
Players to watch: All-SLC second baseman Braeden Riley (.388, 99 hits and 52 runs scored), All-SLC first baseman Nick Zaleski (.421, eight HRs and 54 RBIs), All-SLC pitcher Sean Weatherford (7-5, 3.84 ERA) and All-SLC catcher Mark Wyatt (.333, 12 HRs and 50 RBIs).
No. 8 Stephen F. Austin
Record: 14-18, 23-30
Record against tournament field: 10-10
Key wins: The Lumberjacks swept Texas-Arlington and took two of three against UTSA
Players to watch: All-SLC pitchers Erich Lehmann (7-3, 3.75 ERA) and Richard Folmer (12 saves, 3.23 ERA) and All-SLC first baseman Sean Meyers (.404, seven HRs and 49 RBIs).
