Baseball is highly regarded as the national pastime, and the love of the game is continually deepening in Wayne County. Kids grow up playing baseball with hopes of being able to be a part of the winning tradition of the Yellow Jackets varsity baseball team.
Wayne County senior Zach Mainor has been playing baseball since he was 3 years old. He credits his grandfather with inspiring his love for the game.
“I realized I had a chance to be a good ball player when I was about 10 or 11 years old,” Mainor said. “Around 13 years old, I started to realize I would be a better player if I actually took my coach’s advice.”
Learning to really heed the advice of coaches helped Zach start to find his stride. However, the coaching is just part of what made Zach a better baseball player; the other part was all of the hard work that he had to put in himself. Hours of hands stinging from hitting balls in the cage, taking fly balls, and firing balls out of the perfect crow hop to make sure of accuracy in hitting the cut-off man helped to beef up his resume.
“It’s a great feeling knowing that I worked really hard to reach the success I had as an upperclassman,” Mainor said.
Baseball is a game of execution, and nothing demands greater execution than the role of a pitcher. Zach got a lesson in mental toughness early in his senior year on the mound.
“This season started off a little rough on the mound, but as the season went on I began to pitch better and get better run support which allowed for a strong ending,” he said. “I would have to say I like pitching more than centerfield. When I’m on the mound I am able to control the speed of the game.”
A pitcher’s go-to is said to be descriptive of the personality of the person who throws the pitch. For example, you easily associate a blazing fastball with Nolan Ryan’s tall Texas frame; the knuckleball resurrected the career of Tim Wakefield when he found out he couldn’t throw hard anymore. Zach Mainor’s favorite pitch is a slider. Even a hitter that knows it’s coming may cut air or just hit a dribbler in the infield for a quick out.
“I can use it to throw hitters off balance,” Mainor said.
Mainor is definitely a student of the game. Pitchers at every level dream of facing the best hitters, regardless of time. Zach’s hitter that he would like to see 60 feet way from him isn’t the typical response of today’s players, Bryce Harper or even a Derek Jeter. Mainor’s pick is the original power hitter, Mickey Mantle.
“If I could pitch to any batter, it would be Mickey Mantle,” he said. “The count would be 1-2, so that I could see if he would chase one in the dirt. I would most likely throw two sliders, and if he didn’t offer, I would run a two-seam slider in on him. I chose Mickey because he had a lot of success in his days of baseball. I feel like it would challenge me to locate my pitches and throw harder.”
Playing baseball in Wayne County is a special experience and something that Mainor has truly enjoyed during his career.
“I want my teammates to think of a really hard worker when they think of me,” he said. “Someone who never stops pushing to be the best I can be. I hope they realize with hard work they can also be a big impact on the program. All of my teammates are really good guys and they always encourage each other to get better every day. My catcher this past year (Christian Ruff) was one of the best teammates a guy could ask for. We had a special pitcher/catcher bond that made it hard to beat us on the field.”
Once Mainor did settle down this season, he ended up posting a serviceable 3.29 earned run average and recorded 36 strikeouts and two wins.
“The only advice I could really give is to take the coach’s advice and give it your all,” he said. “Never take days off or half-do anything. Work as hard as you can, and it will pay off eventually.”
His work ethic has merited him looks from a few junior college programs, including South Georgia State College. Away from the field, one of his favorite classes at Wayne County High School is Ms. Jenny Graham’s anatomy class.
“She made the class fun, but was always able to get the point across,” he said.
Wayne County head baseball coach Justin McDonald has certainly noticed the hard work and leadership that Mainor has put in during his time with the Yellow Jackets baseball team.
“Zach is an exceptional player and person,” McDonald said. “He has been a part of our program for four years and has done some great things. As an underclassman, he was able to step in and play a significant role in our success as three-time region champions and two appearances in the Elite Eight. This season, his leadership and work ethic was some of the best I’ve seen in my tenure here at Wayne. He was always ready to work and brought it every single day.”
Southeast Georgia/ May 2016
Zach Mainor
Life Throws Sliders
By John Wood
Photos by Jennifer Carter Johnson
