Eric Zmuda, INF, Toledo St. Francis DeSales HS, Class of 2013

Matt Zmuda, LHP/1B Tolodo St. Francis DeSales HS, Class of 2013

PBR: Which schools were you considering prior to commitment to Denison?

Eric and Matt: Hope College, Depauw, Thiel College,Washington and Jefferson
 
PBR: Ultimately what were the reasons you chose Denison?

Eric: Denison has everything I would ever want in a college. It has a very prestigious academic reputation as well as a baseball program rich in tradition and it is only 3 hours away from Toledo.

Matt: Because of the great academic reputation Dension has, as well as the great facilities and baseball coaching staff. I really felt like I was family when I visited.
 
PBR: Coach Deegan was hired this summer as new head coach at Denison.  How does it feel to be a part of his first recruiting class?

Eric: I could not be happier to be in his first recruiting class. I look forward to helping be the building blocks to the program at Denison and there is no doubt that Coach Deegan will establish the winning tradition at Denison like he did at Marietta.

Matt: It is an honor. Coach Deegan comes from a great winning tradition at Marietta and I wanted to be a part of the winning tradition he is going to bring to Denison.
 
PBR: As twins, did you go through the recruiting process step-by-step together? Same visits, same schools of interest?

Eric: We have always played together and have always had dreams of keeping it that way for as long as we could. When colleges started showing interest in both of us we jumped at the opportunity and made it almost a priority that we would play at the next level together.

Matt: We always had in the back of our minds that it would be great to go to the same school, but knew it wasn’t a guarantee. Fortunately once interest was shown from schools; it was shown for both of us. So the recruiting process for the most part was done together.
 
PBR: Did being able to attend the same school play a role? If so, how big?
Eric: We are not only twins but extremely close friends. Obviously anyone would want to go to school with their best friend, so in all honesty it played a large role in our decision.
Matt: Yes it did, our dreams were to play together as long as possible and we have always made each other better players on the field and  better students in the classroom.
 
PBR: What is the best memory you have of playing baseball with your brother?

Eric: My best memory would be starting Varsity as sophomores together at St. Francis. For two sophomores to have as special seasons as we did when we were that young was something special I will never forget.

Matt: My best memory would be winning the USSA State Championship when we were 14. It was a great team with a lot of fun guys, who we still maintain friendships with.
 
PBR: Who do you play for over the summer and how did this season go for you? Were there areas of your game you wanted to improve on during the summer?

Eric: The Ohio Elite with Coach Valentine, Coach Wright and Coach Hutch. Not only did we play extremely competitive ball, but our team was stacked with top notch talent from across the mid-west. I learned so much from my teammates and they truly made me better. I wanted to improve my play at second base. I play a lot of shortstop in the high school season and wanted the transition of going to second in the summer and future to be smooth.

Matt: The Ohio Elite , with Coach Valentine, Coach Wright , and Coach Hutchinson. The summer season went well, we played in some elite tournaments against some of the best players in the country. I wanted to improve my hitting approach and the coaching staff helped me achieve that goal.
 
PBR: What were your spring season stats last season at Toledo St. Francis DeSales?

Eric:  .340 BA 23 RBI 13 SB    First team All-district First team All TRAC

Matt: .386 BA ,15 XBH, 11 RBI; 35.1 IP, 29 K, 3 W First team All-district, second team all TRAC
 
PBR: Going into your senior season what are both your individual and team goals?

Eric: Team goal would be to win a district title and advance to the final four in Columbus. We have a large senior class and are very close. Individually I would like to hit for more power and steal more bases this year.

Matt: My team goal is to win a state title, and my individual goal would be to improve my ERA and have an outstanding year at the plate and on the mound.
 
PBR:  Who is the best player in Ohio that you have played against?

Eric: Steve Duby (RHP WVU)

Matt: LHP Jim Orwick (ND)