Ohio State junior infielder Zach Dezenzo (4) holds up his finger after hitting a home run during the Ohio State-Indiana game on April 3. Ohio State won 6-0. Credit: Mackenzie Shanklin | Photo Editor
There were two outs in the bottom of the ninth of Sunday’s tied game against Indiana. A pair of Buckeyes were on the basepaths and junior shortstop Zach Dezenzo stepped to the plate.
Dezenzo laced an 0-1 fastball into left field and the party ensued, walking it off and collecting his fourth hit of the ballgame in grand style. That was the cherry on top of Dezenzo’s 8-for-15 weekend in which he hit two home runs and tallied four RBIs.
“Previous at-bat he threw me a follow-up fastball middle-in, and I hammered that pitch and I was sitting on that for my last at-bat, too,” Dezenzo said Sunday. “Same spot, same pitch, was on time for the fastball and yanked it down the line. Luckily, I got it over the third baseman’s head.”
This high-level production has been brewing for Ohio State’s No. 3 hitter, who hit .308 in the March 26-29 series against Maryland and Iowa. Dezenzo credits his plate discipline for his recent offensive breakout.
“I think I’m seeing the ball really well right now. I’m laying off a lot of really good, really tough pitches out of the zone,” Dezenzo said Saturday. “I can tell when I’m hitting well; my takes are good when I’m seeing the ball well and laying off out of the zone.”
Dezenzo first showed good vision at the plate, taking three walks when they came to him against Maryland and Iowa while only striking out twice — both coming in at least five-pitch at-bats.
The Alliance, Ohio, native saw a lot of pitches against the Hawkeyes and Terrapins, but in the final three games against Indiana, Dezenzo did damage early in the count.
He saw four or less pitches in nine of his 12 plate appearances, collecting hits in five of those trips.
The ability to hit to all fields — which Dezenzo did against the Hoosiers — is also a sign of good hitting.
He was letting outside pitches get deep into the strike zone and going with the pitch to right field. If the right-handed hitting Dezenzo hit every ball to his natural pull side, pitchers would throw more offspeed pitches to keep him off balance at the plate.
Of the 14 balls Dezenzo put in the play this weekend, six were to left field and four were to center and right field each.
By the end of the Indiana series, the shortstop raised his season batting average 60 points from .250 to .310 — trailing freshman outfielder Kade Kern by 28 points for highest on the team.
“Zach is one of the hardest workers you’re ever going to meet. He does everything right. He’s gonna eat right, lift right, sleep right,” sophomore outfielder Mitchell Okuley said. “He wants to be great, he wants to be better than everybody else and I think it’s finally starting to pay off.”
The Buckeyes’ offense certainly goes as Dezenzo goes, as he has recorded a hit in 11 of the 12 wins this year. He has mustered a 2-for-25 clip in Ohio State’s seven losses this year, going hitless in the last five.
To continue his success, Dezenzo said he needs to maintain the same approach and work ethic throughout the course of the season.
“Having a good routine here at home has helped me a lot just with my mental approach at the plate,” Dezenzo said. “Then again, you realize baseball is a long season. There’s a lot of ups and downs, so you just got to keep a level head through the highs and through the lows and just continue to be humble, continue to work, and good things will continue to happen.”
