Mack – I’ll thrilled to
be talking today with one of the top lefties in the upcoming draft,
Vanderbilt’s Kevin Ziomek. Hey Kevin. It seems like we just went through this
process a few years ago, doesn’t it? J
Kevin: - Ha, ha, it
sure does. Time has really flown by. It's been a great few years so far at
Vandy, I'm really excited to see what next spring will be like for us!
Mack – As usual, my
first question takes you back to that first day someone put either a ball or
bat in your hand. Take us through the steps that led to this day.
Kevin - I have to say I
can't tell you too much about my first time with a ball ha! My parents always told
me that they always put a baseball in my left hand when I was younger. I will
always be thankful to my dad for that!
Mack – I loved the
scouting report from PG when you were in high school:
Kevin Ziomek is a 2010 LHP with a 6'2'', 180 lb. frame from
Amherst, MA who attends Amherst Regional HS. Lean athletic build, projects
well, long arms. Full delivery with full arm circle, fast loose arm, flexible
actions. Challenges with 88-91 mph fastball, throws FB to spots. Throws both CB
and SL, SL much better pitch at present, power bite at 77 mph, CB has softer
spin and rolling break. Shows command. Didn't throw change. Projects very well,
especially with further development of breaking stuff. Could explode by next
June. Has early draft potential. Good student
Was the competition at Amherst
Regional challenging enough?
Kevin - I think whoever
wrote that scouting report was being pretty generous! As a kid coming out of
the Northeast, I think my experience was a lot different than the kids who play
in the south or out in California. We have some good talent up there, but a lot
of that talent is spread out and it can sometimes be hard to find the right
tournaments and areas with a lot of strong competition. It was definitely a
great experience for me to go down to Jupiter and some of the other big
tournaments so I could see what competition would be like at the next level.
There was definitely some good competition, I probably just didn't experience
it on the regular basis that a kid from California might.
Mack – So, summer
“travel teams” were very important in your overall assessment?
Kevin - I wasn't
necessarily a huge traveler to be honest. I went to some of the bigger
tournaments such as PG national and Jupiter, FL but I never really attended
much else. In the summer I just played for a local legion team and high school
ball during the spring. Other than that the only major tournament I attended
was the Area Code Games out in California. I guess I just was fortunate enough
to be invited to the right tournaments and had the right coaches see me!
Mack – Last question,
Kevin (and thank you for your time). What are your realistic goals this year
and how far can we expect Vandy to go?
Kevin - I'm really
excited for this year. I think we have a great group of young guys coming in,
and there is a good chance they can have an immediate impact. Hopefully we can
make another run back to Omaha and bring back a championship to Nashville!
Mack – Thanks Kevin. We’ll
check back with you mid-season.
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