Lake Zurich pitcher Josh Marzec’s first win of the season may not be recorded anywhere.
But the 6-foot-2 senior right-hander understands his subsequent success has been built upon it.
“I took the offseason more seriously,” Marzec said. “I was more serious about lifting and got on a serious throwing program. I wanted to see what I really had in me. What’s the point of playing if you don’t maximize your potential?”
The McHenry County College commit had a specific goal in mind.
“I wanted the No. 1 spot on the staff, and I wanted to be our top pitcher,” he said.
Becoming the ace, Marzec has been a key storyline in Lake Zurich’s rise in the North Suburban Conference standings. He’s 6-1 with 60 strikeouts over 45 2/3 innings and an ERA that has hovered around 2.50 all season, and the Bears (21-9, 10-3) have surged into second place behind Libertyville.
Lake Zurich’s 4-3 walk-off win against conference rival Stevenson on Monday was its eighth victory in a row and 15th in its past 18 games. Marzec got a no-decision but was his usual effective self, allowing two earned runs on four hits over six innings while striking out six.
Marzec also earned his first save of the season on Saturday by closing out the Bears’ 3-2 win against Huntley. He had finished two other games, however – four-inning no-hitters.
“He’s been a sponge from day one and is willing to listen to coaching,” Lake Zurich first-year coach Mike Manno said. “He’s the consummate competitor. You don’t know by looking at him if he’s given up five runs or nothing. He’s just a bulldog on the mound.”
That’s true in the dugout too. Using analytical and charting tools that new pitching coach Bob Huber introduced, Marzec immerses himself in data during games.
“In between innings, I’m focused on the next inning,” he said. “I’m a different person on days when I pitch, both mentally and as a teammate. When I’m pitching, that’s my day to pitch. That’s it.”
Marzec’s longtime catcher, senior AJ Foley, who will join him at McHenry County, recognized that focus immediately this season.
“He’s locked in on every pitch, more so on himself and the game,” Foley said. “He’s willing to give everything he has on every pitch. On the bench, he’s more to himself.”
Marzec is having fun with the cerebral part of pitching and being able to uncover inefficiencies in opposing hitters.
“Every pitch we throw as a staff, we can go and look at what it was and what the result was,” he said. “Before this year, I mostly tried to beat hitters with heat, predominantly fastballs. Now I’m comfortable throwing all five of my pitches. If I have to, I can throw the fastball by them. Everything still plays off my four-seamer.”
Marzec’s wider inventory of pitches includes a curveball, a sweeper, a sinker and a fifth offering that came about partly by mistake and partly by experimentation. During one of Marzec’s offseason pitching lessons, he said an instructor encouraged him to “mess around with” a new grip.
The result is what Marzec calls his kick-change.
“I spike my middle finger onto the seam, and it rolls off my ring finger,” he said. “The first one almost had a screwball-type of movement. It has more vertical movement than a usual change-up, and over time, it became one of my favorite pitches.”
Over time, Marzec has racked up strong outings for the Bears. But the game against Stevenson was his final Monday start, which left him considering how little time there is left in his high school career. Eighth-seeded Lake Zurich will play ninth-seeded conference rival Warren in the Class 4A Fremd Regional semifinals on May 29.
“I’m kind of torn whether I should cherish these last few weeks or go about it the same way I always have,” Marzec said. “Baseball has been my whole high school life, whether it’s going to practice, open gyms or games.
“It’s very special to be able to play the same sport all four years. Not everyone gets to do that, and I’m very grateful.”
Steve Reaven is a freelance reporter.
