On Friday, May 4, 2012, Central Bucks East seniors Zach Grace and Tyler Zeleny were recognized at a special news conference for signing letters of intent to play baseball at the collegiate level.
Zach Grace – Carson-Newman College (Baseball)
Major: Biology/Pre-Physical Therapy
Final list of colleges: Carson-Newman, Arcadia, Millersville, Elizabethtown
Reasons for choosing Carson-Newman: “Going there, I felt in place, and it was a good fit for me. I had a rough summer last year – I played through an injury, so I’m glad to have the opportunity to play.”
Favorite high school sports memory: “One of my first at-bats of the year against William Tennent, I hit a home run, and it got the season started for me.”
What was the progression that led you to playing collegiate baseball? “To be honest with you, it pretty much came out of nowhere. I didn’t start playing baseball until I was 12 or 13. Basically, at the beginning of my junior year, I knew it was possibility to go on and play. I worked really hard to get there.”
Coach Kyle Dennis says: “Zach was a pitcher for us as a junior and had a little bit of success. He decided in the offseason he really wanted to explore the outfield. We hadn’t really seen him play the outfie
ld much, but he put in a lot of extra time in the offseason working on his footwork. He put a ton of extra time in during the early part of the season, getting extra fly balls after practice. I remember staying after practice an hour just hitting fly balls with our assistant coach and just working on things. He works really, really, really hard and had a lot of success in the outfield.”
About Zach:
Favorite food: Chicken Parmesan
Favorite movie: Anchorman &Step Brothers
Favorite music: Country & Hip Hop
Tyler Zeleny – Bloomsburg University (Baseball)
Major: Undecided, possibly Business or Psychology
Final list of colleges: Bloomsburg, Gwynedd-Mercy, Chestnut Hill
Reasons for choosing Bloomsburg: “Bloomsburg was the best fit for me. When I visited the school, I liked it a lot – I liked the campus. I know people there already, so it’s going to be fun. It just seemed like the perfect place for me to go.”
Favorite high school sports memory: “One of my best memories was last year when we played Souderton and I stole home.”
What was the progression that led you to playing collegiate baseball? “Pretty much my whole life since I started playing, it was always a dream to play college baseball.”
Coach Kyle Dennis says: “He’s one of those players I’m sorry to see go. He earned out starting shortstop job as a sophomore and was our starting shortstop for three years. We never even thought of ever taking him out of the game at shortstop other than to pitch. He’s an all-around great baseball player. He has tons of speed, he’s a smart base runner. For a guy that’s 5-7 or 5-8, he has a lot of pop in his bat. He was our leadoff hitter for a number of years. We put him in the five or six hole, and he slowly worked his way up the lineup. He’s just a great ballplayer, and I’m going to miss him. He’s going to be tough to replace, not just for his infield work. He’s a good team leader, he works hard at practice, and the guys looked up to him. He’s just a really great kid.”
About Tyler:
Favorite food: King Crab Legs
Favorite movie: Step Brothers
Favorite music: Alternative & Rap
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