‘Where the story ended’: Knoch pitcher Zane Pacek commits to Central Michigan

By: Ted Sarneso
Monday, July 28, 2025 | 3:46 PM

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Zane Pacek made what ended up being an easy decision while fishing with his dad July 21.

Having gotten interest from a handful of Division II and Division III colleges, Pacek chose the only Division I offer he received and committed to play baseball for Central Michigan.

“They were the first school that really talked to me and saw something in me that they could help me with,” said the 7-foot Knoch rising senior. “I have been talking with them ever since they could first begin speaking with me.”

What really impressed Pacek was how personable the entire Central Michigan coaching staff was when those lines of communication were opened.

“They told me that when I get there and actually start playing, I will spend 20 to 30 minutes with each coach during the week just talking about life,” Pacek said. “I really liked that, knowing that I’m not just another player, knowing that I’m part of a team.”

It was that kind of interaction that Pacek witnessed firsthand on his visit to Central Michigan, which was one of only two colleges he visited. Chatham was the other.

“The visit to Central Michigan was sort of where the story ended,” Pacek said.

Pacek met with Jonathan Vance, who is the Chippewas’ director of pitching performance, and assistant coach Aaron Hilt while on his visit and was impressed by how the team is run and, more specifically, their pitching philosophy.

He even took in a game when the Chippewas played at Akron in April.

“Since they were playing a little closer to home, I knew I had to go check it out,” Pacek said. “I was able to go on the field and talk with the coaches for a brief period during batting practice, and I also got to watch their pitchers in their pregame bullpen sessions.”

Pacek also liked that Central Michigan’s campus isn’t located in the middle of nowhere and how in tune the local town is to college athletics.

“It’s almost like Butler,” Pacek said. “You have places and your people by you. In that town of Mt. Pleasant (Mich.), you always have people showing up to your games, including athletes from the other sports. It just shows the level of camaraderie that exists up there.”

Another huge draw, of course, was Lake Michigan, where Pacek intends to cast a line and see what bites.

“The Central Michigan coaches also said that there’s a pond close to campus where they go for team bonding trips,” Pacek said. “A few players rent out a lake house and do some fishing. I’ll definitely be doing a lot of that when I’m up there.”

Making his decision the summer before his senior year has been a relief for Pacek, who now can focus on himself, his mechanics and enjoy his senior year of Knoch baseball.

Pacek is also grateful to Knoch coach John Negley for helping him with the mental aspect of his game.

During last season, Pacek was struggling with pitch location and became frustrated. But Negley helped him to overcome those struggles, forget about the pitch he just threw and move on to the next pitch.

“That helped immensely,” Pacek said. “Whenever people from the college ranks see you get frustrated easily, they don’t really want a player like that. They want someone who can flush that and move on.

“You’re going to throw bad pitches, not throw strikes all the time, and may even hit a batter or two. It’s going to happen, and it’s about moving on and refocusing and Coach Negley was a huge help in that regard.”

Pacek started seven games last year for Knoch, going 4-2 with a 1.60 ERA. He had a .943 WHIP, 29 strikeouts, nine walks, allowed 24 hits, eight earned runs and opponents hit just .192 against him.

He wants to use his senior season to sharpen his game, specifically working on getting his four-seam fastball up to 92-93 mph, which will look like 98 because of his length and stride off the mound.

Pacek likens his development to Jason Reitz, a 6-11 pitcher from Oregon whom the Minnesota Twins took in the fourth round of this year’s draft.

“In talking with the Central Michigan coaches, they said his fastball topped out at 91 when he graduated high school,” Pacek said. “That helps me put into focus where I’m at in my developmental process.

“Being a bigger pitcher, it takes a while to develop, just getting coordinated as my body naturally develops as a pitcher. I’m going to keep working and, hopefully, speed up that developmental process.”

Pacek will use his senior season at Knoch sharpen his game while also helping the team to a deeper playoff run. The Knights finished 10-11 last year and 6-4 in Section 4-4A and lost to Ambridge in the first round.

“We worked really hard last offseason, and we’ll work hard again this offseason to show people that Knoch isn’t just a one-and-done team,” Pacek said. “We’re going to come out, look to blow the doors off some teams, and, hopefully win WPIALs and make it to states.”

Tags: Knoch