Q&A with Hamilton area baseball player Zachary Paolini

HAMILTON, Ontario — On September 30th, 2022, Zachary Paolini was awarded the Dave Lord Memorial Award by Bryan Bartolozzi, President of the West Mountain Baseball Association (WMBA). The Dave Lord Memorial Award is awarded each season to the Most Valuable Teammate of the 18U division. Dave Lord coached with the WMBA for over 25 years, coaching his kids and then grandkids before his passing in 2016.

Bryan has watched, coached and coached against Zachary throughout his career at WMBA.  “He is so deserving of this prestigious award.  Not only is he one of the best baseball players in the city of Hamilton that I have seen in a while, he is an even better teammate and human being.”   He added “Zachary always gives 110%, his teammates feed off that and follow his lead on and off the diamond.  He is the epitome of what we try to accomplish here; build good baseball players but even better human beings.  Zach has very successfully accomplished both and it’s been a pleasure to witness.”

Recently, I had the privilege of interviewing Zachary and this is what he shared with me:

What are your personal goals within your sport/athletic dreams?

Zachary Paolini: My personal goals in practices and games are to improve my skills as a player, build new friendships with teammates and enjoy the sport as much as I can before my youth baseball career ends.

What is your biggest challenge in your sport, and what do you do to manage this challenge? 

Paolini: The biggest challenge I face when playing baseball is controlling my emotions and motivating my teammates when things don’t go our way. I see myself as a leader when I’m out on the field and it is my responsibility to encourage everyone to stay positive in the dugout.  

What was the best advice you were ever given? 

Paolini: A coach once told me “at the end of the day it’s just a game. Winning or losing doesn’t matter as long as you were competitive, had fun and made the game enjoyable for everyone around you.”  This stuck with me.

What do you love about baseball?

Paolini: I play sports to be around friends, experience some type of competitiveness and to have fun.  Baseball gives me a break from life for a few hours in my day to just play the game that I love.  Baseball is an escape from life, it’s calming for me.  

Do you have a pregame ritual you follow? 

Paolini: Not so much a ritual as it is a superstition, but before the game starts no one on our team can step on the chalked lines on the field because it’s bad luck. 

What do you like to do outside of your sport?

Paolini: Currently, I am a full-time student at McMaster University in the Integrated Business and Humanities program. I also play recreational hockey and intramural sports such as flag football.  

What has being a member of a team taught you?

Paolini: Baseball is just a game. We are all out there to have a good time. When things don’t go our way the worst thing you can do is get down on your teammates. If there’s one thing I have learned as a team member it is to always stay positive. A positive attitude toward the game and toward teammates makes the game more enjoyable for everyone.  

What is the best piece of advice you received from a coach or mentor?

Paolini: No one cares what you do out there on the field. Baseball is a mental game, stop thinking and just play.

Describe a mistake you made while competing and how you overcame it.

Paolini: Every baseball player gets into a hitting slump at one point in the season. As I said before, baseball is a mental game, so I didn’t change anything about my swing. All I would do is take more batting practice before games and clear my head while up at bat. Eventually, I would start to hit the ball again.

Is there anything else you’d like to add?

Paolini: Youth sports are very important for all kids to take part in growing up. There are skills you learn while playing these sports and interacting with teammates that you cannot learn in school or at home. If I could go back and play these past 11 years of baseball over again, I would do it in a heartbeat. 

This is an unedited user writing submission. The views, information, or opinions expressed in this article are solely those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of Best Version Media or its employees.