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In His Blood
Zach Oshinsky
Steve Stein | Contributing Writer
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58 March 10 • 2016
2000430
ach Oshinsky is taking his
pitching talents to Olivet.
The former West Bloomfield
High School star, now in his second and
final season with the Lake Michigan
College baseball team, has signed with
NCAA Division III Olivet College.
The 5-foot-10, 185-pound southpaw
will be a junior at Olivet in the fall.
“I chose Olivet because it felt like a
good fit,” Oshinsky said. “I was originally
planning on going to the University of
Mount Union [in Alliance, Ohio], but I
wanted to be closer to home.”
Lake Michigan is a two-year junior col-
lege that has its main campus in Benton
Harbor. Olivet is located northeast of
Battle Creek. Oshinsky said he’s happy
he waited to go to a four-year school.
“I’m glad I chose to play baseball at a
junior college right out of high school,”
he said. “It’s given me time to grow and
mature on and off the field, and I feel
I gained more ‘curb appeal’ to coaches
from four-year schools who were recruit-
ing me.
“They know a junior college player,
especially a pitcher, has been compet-
ing at the collegiate level and should be
ready to play when he gets to a four-year
school.”
Oshinsky’s coach at Olivet will be Ted
Mahan. He said he’s comfortable with
Oshinsky starting his collegiate career at
a junior college.
“Junior college often helps a player
develop. Sometimes he’s able to play ear-
lier when he gets to a four-year school.
So hopefully, the experience has helped
Zach,” he said.
“I’m a believer in four-year schools,
but I have had many junior college guys
who were outstanding players and young
men.”
Mahan said there will be an adjust-
ment period on the mound for Oshinsky
going from junior college to pitching for
the Comets.
“There are lots of good junior college
hitters but hitters at four-year schools
are usually stronger, so pitchers need
to locate pitches better than before,” he
said. “Zach will need to locate his fastball
away from right-handed hitters. If lefties
can do that, they can have success.”
Oshinsky describes himself as a
finesse pitcher.
“I throw a fastball, change-up, slider
and curveball,” he said. “I don’t rely
heavily on overpowering hitters because
I don’t throw fast. I need to locate my
pitches well and change speeds to keep
hitters off-balance.”
There will be a job for Oshinsky on the
Olivet mound staff if he earns it.
“Zach will be used as a starting pitcher
in the fall [in preparation for the 2017
spring season], and we’ll watch his
progress,” Mahan said. “We’ll be losing a
left-handed starter to graduation, and we
sure hope Zach can replace him.”
Oshinsky isn’t sure about his academic
major at Olivet.
“But I have a few ideas like psycholo-
gy, business or athletic training,” he said.
First things first, he’s hoping for a
good sophomore season this spring at
Lake Michigan.
He made news at this time last year.
He won his first start for Lake Michigan,
helping the Red Hawks defeat South
Georgia 4-0 on March 8, 2015. It was
Lake Michigan’s first win on its spring
trip in three seasons.
Oshinsky also plays in the Bloomfield
Sting travel baseball program. He’ll pitch
for the Sting in the Michigan Collegiate
Summer League this summer.
Baseball is in Oshinsky’s blood.
“I’ve been playing since I was 4 years
old,” he said. He’s now 19.
He has an unusual middle name, and
it’s baseball related. His middle name is
Maddux, as in Greg Maddux, who was
inducted into the National Baseball Hall
of Fame in 2014.
Oshinsky’s father, Steve, met Maddux
at spring training several years ago and
became friends with him.
Zach Oshinsky pitches like Maddux,
who was known for his pinpoint control,
ability to make the right pitch at the right
time and paint the corners of the plate in
his 22 seasons in the big leagues.
“But I don’t compare myself to him,”
Oshinsky said. “That’s kind of a cliche.”
Oshinsky played other sports com-
petitively but he decided in 2013 to focus
entirely on baseball.
*
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