Zicka Bringing Love Of The Game To Xavier

LOVELAND - A year ago Jacob Zicka weighed 145 pounds. To this day he has still never thrown a varsity pitch.

But the Loveland High School senior is a college baseball commit.

“I’ve spent most of my days in the weight room and I’ve been in and out of pitching lessons,” explained the 6-4 170-pound southpaw about what he has done over the past year to make it all happen. “I’ve put on 25 pounds and like the results I’ve seen. I want to be the best at baseball I can be.”

That inspiration comes from his father.

“He introduced me to the game,” Zicka said of his dad, Patrick, a former right-handed pitcher at Cincinnati. “He played at UC and wanted me to be like him. He’s helped me the whole way, giving me advice to keep me continuing what I love to do.”

Xavier took notice in the 12th-rated 2021 left-handed pitcher in Ohio and the rest is history.

“I made a highlight reel and sent it out to many colleges,” Zicka explained. “They responded right away and I kept sending videos that kept them updated with my progress. PBR really helped as well. I sent him my rapsodo results.”

Zicka made an impression on Jordan Chiero, PBR Ohio Director of Scouting, at the Unsigned Senior Showcase in December.

“As advertised,” Chiero said. “Six-foot-four frame that is just starting to fill out. Stock should only rise as he adds strength. Breaking ball was above average as well.”

Cincinnati, Ashland, Wittenberg and John Carroll were among colleges in the state showing an interest before Xavier came into the picture.

“They like my projectability,” Zicka noted. “I’m tall and skinny and still have lots of room to grow.”

That is where the focus is now for the 86th-ranked senior in the state.

“I need to keep getting bigger and stronger,” Zicka said. “That will increase my pitchability and velocity. I’m also working on implementing different types of pitches in different situations.”

Admittedly, there were some concerns not being committed midway through senior school year.

“I just wanted to find the best school for me,” Zicka pointed out. “I was getting a little scared with it getting near the end of the year.”

However, the right fit was found just 20 minutes from home.

“That was a big factor,” Zicka said about the decision. “I’m really close to my parents and I like the option that I can see them every day.”

There was more that stood out in choosing Xavier for the 18-year-old.

“I like the smaller-school feel,” explained Zicka. “It’s more of a community. I can meet and get to know everyone. I also liked how (head) coach (Billy) O’Connor and (pitching) coach (Brian) Furlong wanted to get to know me personally both in and outside of baseball. They treated me really well.”

A 3.95 student planning on a major in marketing, Zicka believes he can be a valuable asset to the Big East Conference program.

“I can bring dedication on the baseball field and in the classroom,” Zicka said. “I have a love for the game no matter what happens. I always have fun with it.”

That happened even when his junior season was cancelled due to the coronavirus, preventing the lefty from his first opportunity to pitch at the high school level.

“That really put a halt on everything with high school baseball cancelled,” Zicka related. “But I kept at it. My next door neighbor, Spencer Rodriguez, plays college baseball as a catcher at Clark State and we tossed the ball a lot in the backyard. My dad built a mound there and I pitched to him a ton.”

Now, less than a year later, Zicka is getting prepared for his Loveland mound debut while doing it as a Division I college commit.

“We were all relieved and very happy,” Zicka said of his family once a commitment to Xavier was official. “It was a long and difficult process.”