Player of the Week: Polloni Displays Power

"Most people think it's boring to watch," sophomore baseball player Zach Polloni said of his sport. "But I love being a part of the game."

However, fans at Tuesday's game between EMU and Southern Virginia might not have agreed with the first part of his statement. Not only were they treated to some extra entertainment like a foul ball shattering someone's rear window in the parking lot (not so uncommon) and a vehicle roll-over across the street (somewhat more unusual), but Polloni, along with teammates Jameson Jarvis and Max Kelly, sent three over the fence for the home crowd in a 4-3 victory.

It was the second home run of the season for Polloni, who has earned Player of the Week honors for his exceptional batting average of .354, as well as a slugging percentage of .500 so far this season. He is also ranked second on the team in hits (17) and first in RBIs (12); he has only three strikeouts out of 48 at-bats, and no errors in the season thus far. Understandably enough, Coach Mace is thrilled to have such young talent on the team. Polloni, he said, is a "great kid, great player, great attitude. He hits the ball well... Now, he's one of the feared hitters in the ODAC. I can't wait till he grows up!"

And so far, Polloni has been "growing up" with baseball his entire life since the age of five. He ended a successful high school career in the sport by winning the state championship and then came to EMU, always knowing he'd play ball in college. EMU's team this year, he said, may be young, but "it's a learning process. We're coming together a lot." Coach

Mace echoed this, saying "We're a family," and, "We're growing! It's a marathon, not a sprint, for us."

EMU baseball did come off a successful week of spring break, going three for three even after the difficult news of the Bluffton bus accident. "That was tough" Polloni said. "When you're ready for a vacation, and there's a lot of excitement, [something like that] is pretty devastating." Though no one knew the Bluffton players personally, it still hit pretty close to home. (One Atlanta newspaper even followed the team around that whole week, in order to write a piece on the ties between Mennonite colleges.) "Our hearts and prayers go out to Bluffton" said Coach Mace. The tragedy "makes you thank God every night for what you have."

(Note: Zach Polloni's statistics were prior to Tuesday and Wednesday's baseball games.)