All-time season led Zuccaro to FC POY

NORWALK — At times, it felt like underhand, slow-pitch softball. That isn't normal in general, but especially when stepping into the batter's box against a first-team all-league pitcher. But that is exactly what Thomas Zuccaro felt he was seeing on April 20. The senior leadoff hitter for the Flyers tripled to start a Firelands Conference game at Mapleton. After Zuccaro walked to lead off the top of the second inning, St. Paul went on to score seven runs and chase the Mounties' starter. With All-FC first team selection Zach Wrobleski on the mound, Zuccaro put the punctuation mark on not only the game — but the highlight of arguably the greatest offensive season in program history. Zuccaro hit a grand slam home run in his second at-bat of the second inning against the Mounties. Then, he didn't look back with the two most difficult hits out of the way. He added an RBI double in the top of the third inning, then singled on the first pitch he saw in the top of the fifth. Through five plate appearances in four-plus innings, Zuccaro had hit for the cycle — almost in perfect reverse order — with five RBIs and three runs scored. "That Mapleton game, it did seem like a softball was coming across the plate," Zuccaro said. "It just seemed like perfect placement and timing, everything." On May 30, Zuccaro was named the Firelands Conference Player of the Year. One week prior, he was a District 9 first team selection in Division IV, making him eligible for the All-Ohio teams that will be announced prior to the state semifinal games next week. Just after the Mapleton cycle, Zuccaro put together one of the best stretches by any hitter at any level. Facing Mapleton, South Central (twice) and Huron, Zuccaro was 15 for 20 (.750) with four doubles, seven RBIs and eight runs scored in the four games. "That stretch was unbelievable in the sense of, I still can't believe it," said Zuccaro, who will continue his baseball career at nearby Terra State Community College in Fremont. "It's hard to explain that it even happened." Among Ohio's best Despite losing his freshman season to the COVID fallout from 2020, Zuccaro was so strong over the past three years to still leave his mark throughout the record books at St. Paul. In 27 games this season for the Flyers (16-11, 10-4 FC), Zuccaro batted .536 (45-for-84) with 10 doubles, four triples, two home runs and and 27 RBIs. He stole 29 bases and scored 45 times from the leadoff spot. In single-season rankings at St. Paul, he finished first in runs scored and walks, and is tied for first in triples. He was second in batting average and stolen bases, and third in hits and doubles. He ranks first in career runs scored (96) and stolen bases (62) in program history. Zuccaro also finished second in career triples (6) and walks (51), and fifth in batting average (.402), hits (100) and at-bats (249). However, Zuccaro's impact went well beyond just St. Paul and the Firelands Conference this spring. Among the hundreds of schools reporting statistics to MaxPreps, Zuccaro's .536 batting average ranked 10th across all four divisions in the state. There are 200 players listed on the leaderboard. Even so, of the nine players listed ahead of him, the closest to Zuccaro's 84 at-bats was a player with 71. He also had 27 more plate appearances than the next closest player among the top 10. Zuccaro also ranked fourth on the MaxPreps state leaderboard in runs scored, 12th in on-base percentage (.644) and 16th in slugging percentage. "What Thomas did this season is something we knew he was capable of," St. Paul head coach Aaron Fries said. "It's his work ethic, and it really started two years ago when he took control of the catcher position for us. After that sophomore season (in 2021), he really started to grind on every part of his game, including his swing, which he retooled a little bit. It was long as a sophomore. But if you see him now, he doesn't miss an opportunity to get in the cage and work on his fundamentals, and it's paid off for him." Kole Maxwell is not only the ace pitcher who works closely with Zuccaro on the mound, but also batted fourth in the lineup. Zuccaro was on base for him most of the time. "He's top 10 in the state in batting average as our leadoff hitter, even though he could probably be a great third or fourth hitter in any lineup," Maxwell said. "But he fits the spot so well for us. He always get every big inning we have going I feel like. We can always count on him to put the ball in play and advance runners, but he's also the kind of player who is not too showy. "Thomas has always been willing to do what he has to in order to score a run," he added. "He doesn't worry what something like that would do to his average. He's been a stabilizing part of our lineup." And how would Maxwell pitch to a player of Zuccaro's caliber if he had to? "A batter like that, start with a fastball, try to get ahead," he said. "Maybe he looks at it, but you could never get behind in the count. You don't want to walk him either, so that's a really tough question. I guess that shows how good he really is." Behind the plate It's not every day the team's leadoff hitter and top performer in the batter's box is the one behind the plate at catcher. But as the team's catcher, Zuccaro is just as strong. He posted a .988 fielding percentage with no passed balls and three errors in 27 games. Maxwell made nine of starts for St. Paul and posted a 0.49 earned run average. He had 107 strikeouts to just 21 walks in 57 2/3 innings throwing to Zuccaro. That included a 2-0 win over Western Reserve on May 4 when Maxwell struck out 20 batters in a 2-0 seven-inning victory, making him unofficially one of 27 pitchers in OHSAA history to do so. "Thomas has a lot of experience, so there is a lot of trust," Maxwell said. "He catches me a lot in the offseason as well. He calls my pitches, so I have a lot of trust in him. "Even if there is ever a dropped third strike, I know he's going to have me back on the next pitch He's a rock back there." As for the final season of his career, Zuccaro said he had to focus on what was in front of him. The Flyers had just three seniors, and he was the lone regular from that class in the lineup because of injuries. "I just tried to maintain a positive attitude toward the team and my at-bats," he said. "It was always about the next at-bat or pitch. Focus on what's in front of you, not what's done." Zuccaro said he started playing baseball regularly around the age of 10. "It was that first love," he said. "My mom was a huge fan, and my grandfather has been huge in my life and the sport as well." And while he said he'd love to get any type of recognition or award, Zuccaro still has a hard time processing what he did. "It's crazy to think it's over already," he said. "Especially after losing our freshman year. It's hard to believe. "I'll look at my numbers, but I don't believe them. I'm still surprised by it all."