Big changes are on the horizon for Ball State baseball, and Crown Point's Zach Plesac wants to be a part of it.
With former coach Rich Maloney back at the helm of the program and plans in store for a new stadium by 2015, Plesac verbally committed to play for the Cardinals this week.
"I want to play for him and he wants me to play for him," Plesac said of Maloney. "He was recruiting me when he was at Michigan and I was thinking I was going to go play for him there. Then when he went to Ball State, I decided to follow him there. He won championships at Michigan and when he was at Ball State before, and that's what I'd like to do."
Maloney coached at Ball State from 1996 to 2002 before taking the Michigan job. He's now returned to Muncie, where he was given carte blanche to design a blueprint for a new stadium.
"He's really looking to turn the thing around (at Ball State)," Plesac said "He's already put together a nice class for 2013."
As a junior, Plesac was 8-2 with a 1.08 earned run average and 92 strikeouts for the Bulldogs. He also hit .298 with 12 doubles, two triples and four home runs. Plesac was invited to play with Team Indiana this summer and represented the Chicago White Sox at the Area Code Games in California.
"He really took off in the summer," Crown Point coach Steve Strayer said. "He threw very well and that opened the eyes of a lot of scouts."
Cincinnati was also hot on Plesac's trail this summer. He had interest from Western Michigan and Kent State as well.
"(Maloney) actually started looking at me and my brother Ronnie around the sectional sophomore season," Plesac said. "They're expecting big things out of me and I'm going to work hard to contribute my freshman year."
A three-sport athlete (football, basketball, baseball), Plesac will take the winter off from hoops to get ready for baseball season.
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