Zaleski signs with Toronto

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June 19, 2009

Former SHSU first baseman inks free agent deal with Blue Jays

Anonymous The Huntsville Item Fri Jun 19, 2009, 11:45 PM CDT

Former Sam Houston State first baseman Nick Zaleski signed a free agent contract with the Toronto Blue Jays earlier this week.

Zaleski was a starter for the Bearkats the past three seasons and had a hand in Sam Houston State’s run to three straight Southland Conference tournament championships and NCAA regional appearances. He reported to the Blue Jays’ training facility in Florida on Wednesday and is awaiting an assignment.

The Sugar Land Clements product had a career year as a senior this past season. Zaleski led the Bearkats with a .419 batting average (an SHSU single-season Division I record) and 57 RBIs and was second in home runs (nine) on the way to earning second-team All-Southland Conference honors.

Sam Houston won the SLC tournament at Whataburger Field in Corpus Christi in May by extending its league postseason record to 12-0 under head coach Mark Johnson and earned a berth to the Houston Regional for the second consecutive season.

Zaleski steadily got better after earning a starting spot on the Bearkats’ roster as a sophomore. He hit .286 to help Sam Houston earn the fourth seed in the SLC tournament, where the Bearkats won their first title with four straight victories and earned a spot in the Oxford (Miss.) Regional.

Sam Houston went on to win two games in Oxford before being eliminated by Ole Miss in the regional finals.

As a junior, Zaleski had a break-out year, hitting .317 with eight home runs and leading the Bearkats with 61 RBIs. He once again helped Sam Houston go 4-0 in the league tournament at Don Sanders Stadium as the Kats advanced to the Houston Regional.

Zaleski was the first player in school history to win three SLC tournament titles. In his collegiate career, he hit .337, with 239 hits which puts him fifth on SHSU’s all-time hit list. He is also fifth all-time in RBIs with 154. His 50 doubles in his career are tied for third-most. Zaleski also had 21 home runs for the Bearkats.

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Kats beat Texas A&M-Corpus Christi 4-3
May 25, 2012
Alive and kicking: Bearkats still in hunt at SLC baseball tourney
With the possibility of going home early from the Southland Conference Tournament and a chance of their season coming to an abrupt end, the Bearkats needed some quality starting pitching and production from their bats in the worst way.
Like he has done all year long, Sam Houston senior Justin Jackson delivered a lights-out performance on the mound and the offense made the kind of impact the Bearkats have been looking for Thursday morning.
Both elements came together at the exact right time as the Kats stayed alive in the tourney with a 7-1 victory over McNeese State in an elimination game at Bobcat Ballpark.

May 24, 2012
Bad day for Bearkats
The Bearkats’ road to the NCAA tournament just got a little bit tougher.
Texas A&M-Corpus Christi broke out for four runs before top-seeded Sam Houston even stepped to the plate Wednesday afternoon, but the Kats couldn’t find a way to counter that first punch.
Sam Houston connected for eight hits, but could not get enough of those in a row to make a dent in the deficit and are now one loss away from being eliminated from the Southland Conference tournament following a 9-2 loss at the hands of the eighth-seeded Islanders on Wednesday afternoon at the Bobcat Baseball Ballpark.

May 23, 2012
Schallenberg: Time is now for Bearkats in Southland tourney
The Bearkats look to take care of business this week in the Southland Conference baseball tournament.

May 20, 2012 1 Photo
Alpha Omega Academy trio shine at state track meet
Freshman brings home four medals, including two golds

May 19, 2012
Tough night for Kats against Rice
The Bearkats had a golden opportunity to make a lasting impression for a potential at-large bid in the NCAA tournament with fifth-ranked Rice coming to town. Sam Houston’s bats couldn’t get going early enough or be able to link enough hits together against the Owls pitching staff and succumbed to a 5-0 loss in the final game of the season at Don Sanders Stadium on Tuesday night.

May 16, 2012 2 Photos
BEARKAT BASEBALL — Plenty up for grabs against fifth-ranked Rice
For several reasons, today’s game against fifth-ranked Rice is going to be a biggie for the Bearkats.

May 14, 2012 1 Photo
SHSU MEN'S BASKETBALL — Kats sign ‘winner’ from Trinity Valley
Will Bond, a 6-3 guard from Trinity Valley Community College, has signed a letter-of-intent to attend Sam Houston State University and play men’s basketball for head coach Jason Hooten.

May 14, 2012
RUNNING SHORTS: New study confirms the benefits of running
May 14, 2012
BEARKATS BASEBALL — Sam Houston wasn't going to be denied regular-season title
With four conference games left to play, all that kept Sam Houston from a Southland Conference regular season championship was just one win. Whether it was at Central Arkansas later in the week or in the Kats’ conference home finale on Sunday, just one victory would hand Sam Houston it’s first regular season conference title in 23 years. Relaxed and ready to pounce, Sam Houston jumped all over Southeastern Louisiana’s pitching staff early and relied on a strong starting pitching performance from senior Michael Oros. The Kats cruised to an 8-3 victory over the second-place Lions and the celebration was on.

May 13, 2012 2 Photos
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Zaleski signs with Toronto

Former SHSU first baseman inks free agent deal with Blue Jays

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