Sigman Ready For The College Life 15 Minutes Down The Road

Zakary Sigman RHP / 3B / Grove City, OH / 2023

GROVE CITY - Better late than never. In reality, much better for Zak Sigman, now that a commitment has been made with Ohio State.

“Me and my family started the recruiting process a little late,” the recent Grove City graduate reflected. “None of my family had ever been to college for sports. We didn’t start it until my junior year.”

Admittedly, there were some nerves.

“It was stressful at points,” Sigman related. “I emailed a bunch of schools, but it was stressful knowing what to say. The good points were when the coaches responded and said they were going to come watch me in-game.”

That is where the 31st-rated 2023 right-handed pitcher in Ohio made his biggest impression with the Buckeyes.

“In the districts against Teays Valley I had eight strikeouts and sat 90-92,” Sigman said. “Ohio State was there. Coach (Andrew) See called that night and gave an offer. He said he’d seen me a few times before. I committed the next day.”

It was two years prior that Sigman went to an Ohio State camp “to try to get interest.”

There were also PBR showcases that helped the cause.

“I went to one or two my freshman year and one or two my sophomore year,” Sigman noted. “I did that to increase my numbers to look better and show that I had put in the work.”

Mark Mayer, the pitching coach at Grove City, along with his son Mike and head coach Ryan Alexander are credited with playing a role in his improvement as well as recruitment.

“I always wanted to play college baseball,” the 5-10 175-pounder said. “When I realized I wanted to pitch in college is when I got into high school my freshman year and started taking it seriously. I worked on long toss, a weighted program and would throw every day. Mark Mayer helped me a bunch. That translated well.”

As a sophomore Sigman topped out at 83-84, as a junior it was 86 and this past season the velo skyrocketed to 93.

Schools took notice, with offers coming in from Toledo and Butler.

“I talked to coach Alexander at Grove City about it and he said give it two weeks and then commit,” Sigman explained.

That is when Ohio State entered the picture.

“They like my competitiveness, my competitive nature on the mound,” Sigman said of OSU. “And they like my attitude.”

The 79th-ranked 2023 in the state had no doubt where he wanted to be when it comes to playing baseball at the next level.

“Ohio State was always my dream school,” Sigman explained. “It’s 15 minutes down the road and a lot of my cousins go there. There are two there now, one playing soccer, and my sister is also there. It’s a big school and I like the big atmosphere.”

Nobody played a bigger role in the journey to the university in Columbus than his parents according to the 18-year-old.

“My mom and dad have been big influences with all the time and money they spent on me,” Sigman said. “I put together videos with my dad that helped set me up to send out to coaches.”

All the work and time put in proved worthwhile now that a commitment has been made to Ohio State.

“Everybody is super excited,” Sigman related. “It’s 15 minutes down the road so they can come to watch whenever they want. Everyone is excited to see all the work that I put in pay off.”

Sigman is of the belief Ohio State will be pleased with what he can bring to the Big 10 program.

“I think I will be a pretty special kid if I keep putting the work in like I have been,” explained Sigman, a 3.8 student at Grove City whose ambition is to be a firefighter once his days on the ballfield have ended. “I’m looking forward to meeting all the new guys, competing with them and traveling. I want to experience college life and see where it takes off.”