Dugout Chat: Freshman Zach DeLoach enjoying early success at A&M
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It didn’t take Zach DeLoach long to get christened “Franchise” when he stepped on campus as a relatively unknown freshman this summer. Sure, he was a highly touted recruit, but he hadn’t even registered a collegiate at-bat before his teammates bestowed that nickname on him.
DeLoach doesn’t remember exactly who first called him that — it has since been shortened to “Chise” — but most signs point to Hunter Coleman. That had been the nickname of one of his teammates in the Northwoods League this past summer, and once he got back to College Station and saw DeLoach play, it seemed to fit.
“We all knew how good he was,” says sophomore outfielder Logan Foster. “We saw how he did in scrimmages and we just kind of ran with it and never looked back.”
DeLoach has looked every bit like a franchise player through the first two weeks of his career. The Lewisville native went 0-for-5 in his college debut, but followed that up by going 11 for his next 14 with a walk-off hit, the cycle and a stretch where he reached base in 14 consecutive plate appearances.
Through nine games, he is sporting a preposterous .457/.533/.914 slash line while leading the team in hits, runs scored and total bases. He leads the nation with four triples. Those numbers have actually cooled off a bit, considering he was hitting well over .500 and slugging over 1.000 coming off last weekend’s three-game sweep of Cornell.
He has done all that as the Aggies’ starting center fielder and leadoff hitter, bringing back memories of the instant success Braden Shewmake had in 2017 as a first-year player.
“The kid is unreal, as everyone can see,” Foster says. “He’s definitely more mature than most freshman are when they come into big situations. Just the way that he competes at the plate and carries himself on the field is a lot how Braden did last year.
“He’s definitely a dude and he’s going to be a dude for a while. For him to be able to come into the leadoff spot as a freshman on opening night is really impressive.”
DeLoach doesn’t get his satisfaction from his gaudy statistics, but rather the opportunity to go to work every day with his teammates.
“I try not to get a big head. I’m just sticking to the plan and trying to play for my teammates,” he says in this week’s Dugout Chat. “Being able to come out every day and compete is huge. We have to earn a spot every day — it’s not like you’re given a spot, you have to earn it every day. That’s all of our mindsets. We just want to compete and make sure we’re all on the same page.”
DeLoach was regarded as one of the best left-handed hitters in the Metroplex as a prep star, and he came across Texas A&M’s radar during his sophomore year. Recruiting coordinator Justin Seely received a phone call from a high school coach in that area who suggested Seely take a look at DeLoach, whom the coach said was one of the best hitters he’d seen in a long time.
“I went and saw him and right away I knew he was a good player,” Seely recalls. “He could hit, he had a very good arm, he was physically pretty mature already and a good athlete. I liked everything that I saw.”
Around that time, DeLoach reached out to the Aggies as well, and a relationship was formed. DeLoach meticulously considered all his options — it took about a year for him to commit — and he finally settled on the Aggies when he attended an A&M game at Olsen Field on a visit.
“I just remember I looked over in the stands and saw Section 203 just going crazy with all the bubbles, and I was like, ‘I’d love to play here,’” DeLoach says. “It was a long process for me, but just the atmosphere and the coaching here is what really brought me here in the first place.
“I was looking at some other schools, just balancing the pros and cons of each one, and ultimately I thought this was the best fit for me.”
Securing DeLoach’s commitment was a big moment for the A&M coaching staff. He was one of the most talented players on their wish list, and Seely and head coach Rob Childress did an in-home visit with DeLoach and his family to make sure he did not bypass his college commitment in favor of professional baseball.
Since getting to campus over the summer, DeLoach has done nothing but impress. He has flashed tremendous upside on the field with a rare combination of power and speed, as well as a professional demeanor that belied his age.
“He was just the same guy every day,” Seely says. “His success varied a little bit, but the appearance of it and the way he went about it was the same every day. No matter how good a day he had or how bad a day he had, he was the same guy the next day. If you’re going to do that – and you have ability and good work habits – over time everything is going to round out.”
DeLoach enjoyed the offseason work he put in next to his teammates, but he says getting to play against teams wearing a different uniform has been even more rewarding.
“It was a cool feeling, like I was finally in college and ready to get started,” he says. “Once the work started, it went by so fast. We were just working and grinding our tails off in the summer. We competed against each other in the fall just beating each other up, but I think coming out here and having the ability to whip up on another team is special.”
DeLoach was so good that the coaching staff did not hesitate to write his name at the top of the opening day lineup. They liked his hitting approach and on-base skills at the top of the order setting the table for what they knew would be a powerful group of hitters behind him.
“We had visions of him hitting in the middle of the order or at the top of the order, and obviously that’s come to fruition,” Seely says. “You don’t want to lob that onto anybody, but if a guy can handle it, then you feel confident doing it.
“He’s an intelligent kid with good work habits who has ability. That’s a great combination.”
But regardless of the hype he generated in the offseason, DeLoach’s production so far in 2018 has been downright incredible.
On Monday, he became the first player in history to be named SEC Freshman of the Week each of the first two weeks of his career. He is getting on base over half the time and he has drawn a team-leading seven walks coupled with only three strikeouts.
“I’ve watched him play growing up and I know what he’s capable of,” says Braden Shewmake, who grew up about 30 minutes away from DeLoach and hosted him on his official visit. “He’s showing everybody what he can do. I’m really, really happy for him and it makes everybody’s life a lot easier when your leadoff hitter is on base all the time.
“All I can say is I’m glad he’s on my team.”
Moving forward, DeLoach is likely to experience what every college baseball player experiences at some point. He probably will not sustain his ridiculous batting average for the entire season, but he has proven to be a dynamic presence at the top of the order capable of hitting for power, getting on base and doing whatever the teams needs him to do, while continuing to improve as a defensive center fielder.
“He’s a very team-first guy,” Seely says. “If you ask him to lay down a bunt, he’ll lay down a bunt. If you ask him to hit-and-run, he’s going to hit-and-run because that’s what the team needs him to do. He’s just very steady with everything he does.
“To say that he’s going to keep hitting the way he’s hitting, that’s probably a pipe dream. But, you never know.”
For a guy nicknamed “'Chise,” anything can happen.
