By John Raffel
Zach Pringle has already shown that he’s a good football player for Carson City-Crystal. But this spring, he has also displayed his talents on the ball diamond.
Pringle is a junior playing for the Eagles baseball squad, which is coached by his dad, Devin Pringle.
“Zach has not played baseball since he was in the seventh grade at Haslett,” Pringle said. “He has been a pretty focused football kid, starting at fullback for the Haslett JV as a freshman, before moving to CC-C the summer before his sophomore year.
“He started at corner as a sophomore, and this past fall was first-team all conference as a [defensive back] and played quarterback for us, where he averaged 9.9 yards per carry.
“When I was hired as the baseball coach, Zach decided he would pick the game back up.”
“My dad wanted me to play for him, and I thought it’d be fun,” Zach said.
Pringle was leading the team as of late April with a .455 batting average. “That’s a pretty remarkable jump from seventh-grade baseball,” Devin Pringle said.
Zach’s average has dropped to about .380, which is still at an impressive number. “That’s a definite surprise,” he said. “I didn’t think I’d be leading the team.”
He got some indoor baseball practice under his belt prior to the spring. “I was fairly confident going out there,” he said. “It’s been awhile. I did some hitting, and it was a little more natural at that point.”
Zach also runs for the Eagles track team when he doesn’t have a baseball game. He ran track as a freshman. This season, he did the long jump and 400-meter relay.
He had played some third base and outfield when he played ball in previous years. He’s basically been a contact hitter, although he’s had a triple.
“I hit really good up until one game,” he said.
Pringle acknowledged that if he had played in previous seasons, it’s possible he might be doing even better this year. But he and his teammates are enjoying the moment and looking ahead.
As starting third baseman, he’s reacted impressively to line shots.
A key team highlight was a beating St. Louis to win a tournament.
“We expect to compete for districts this year,” Zach said.
He’s anticipating that, as a senior, he’ll play baseball again, especially if his dad continues to coach.
“He makes minor adjustments to help me with my swing,” Zach said.