Jack Footer is an ASU Cronkite School of Journalism student assigned to cover Shadow Mountain High School for AZPreps365.com

For five years, Jack Zauner played flag football. He loved the sport, and it was just one of many he played growing up. However, when he turned 11, he realized all his friends were playing baseball and was getting bored with football.

He hadn’t touched a baseball bat in years and didn't know how to swing. One might say that he would have had an uphill climb to get to the same level as his friends since he came into it so late, yet little did he know with a bit of persistence and hard work, he’d become one of the best players on his team.

According to MaxPreps, Zauner leads the Shadow Mountain baseball team in 3 stat categories. This includes runs (21) and RBIs (29).

Head coach Troy Farnsworth says Zauner ready for anything.

“Jack is a leader,” Farnsworth said. "He is a smart baseball player. He knows the game and loves to play baseball. He always wants to compete, whether it’s at the plate, in the field or on the mound.”

Last season, Zauner led the team in doubles, triples, and slugging percentage. 

“I've been working a lot in the off-season with my club coach on my swing and trying to get it more consistent so that way, instead of being every once in a while trying to get more consistent, those numbers are showing up more consistently across the season, which starts in the cage and stuff like that,” Zauner said.

Even though his dad, Rich Zauner, took him to Diamondbacks and spring training games growing up, Jack never had a favorite team or a player he looked up to, but he likes Javier Báez. He said he loves Báez’s swagger and how good of a defender he is. Zauner added that his coaches have told him his swing is emulating Kike Hernández.

Rich said Jack is good at baseball because the sport encapsulates everything he loves to do. 

“He loves to hit,” Rich said. “He loves the camaraderie between his teammates. He loves to work out, which helps in baseball. It's just his drive to be successful.”

Seeing Jack on the field has always brought Rich joy. His favorite moment was the first base hit his son got when he first returned to baseball, because he had to learn everything from scratch.

“He worked so hard trying to get to that moment where he could actually go up there and feel confident and be able to actually hit the baseball,” Rich said.

During a team huddle at the end of a preseason practice, Farnsworth said  most players would have to play multiple positions to help the team win and be more versatile. Zauner is ready to play numerous positions since he added that he had also been working on his pitching during the off-season.

He added that he is proud of how far he has come, but he is more so proud of his team and the bonds they have built with each other. 

“I'm trying to make sure we all have good chemistry,” Zauner said. “We're all hanging out a lot, and everyone's always with each other. I feel like that plays a big role in how we play on the field. We're all boys and stuff like that, and the chemistry is better.”

Zauner is a high honors student, and he said being a student-athlete has improved his time management. With help from Coach Farnsworth, he's been able to balance playing and fulfilling his other commitments for the baseball team and getting his schoolwork done.

When he's not playing baseball or focusing on school, he loves to play pickleball and hang with his friends—all things that allow him to be a teenager.

Rich said that with everything Jack has done, he loves his son's drive to succeed and be the best version of himself that he can be.

Jack even mentioned that he would love to play baseball in college and see how far the sport can take him.