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| Photo is credited to Farmingdalesports.com |
One of the more underrated players on Long Island the past four seasons has been David Zilnicki of Farmingdale State. The 22-year-old outfielder has quietly been the catalyst on four-straight conference winning clubs. I had the chance to play with him in 2010-’11 and he is a hard-working individual and a pesky hitter atop the order.
He is already the program leader in stolen bases, and ranks in the top-10 in AVG, OBP, runs, hits, triples, RBI, total bases, walks and HBP. That is not even including his .426 beginning to the season thus far with 20 hits already. Here is a conversation I had with him regarding some aspects of the game.
1) Is there any pressure to win one more Skyline title to finish what you started?
Theres always going to be pressure to win a skyline here due to our recent history, so I don’t think the pressure can get higher for the team. The only change is more pressure upon us seniors as its now our turn to take the reigns and lead teh lead in the way the 5 classes did before us.
2) Are triples more of a matter of luck or an advantage of playing in your home field?
I feel its a combo of both. Our field being as large as it is with a turf surface gives more opportunities to stretch a double into a triple. Then there is a luck factor because you have to find the gaps. We have guys like Anthony Alvino who are just as capable as me to hit them that seems to hit the ball right at people
3) What kinds of things do you look for when stealing a base? How can a pitcher throw you off your rhythm?
You know the usual combos of catchers with weak arms or have a slow POP time. Pitchers who don’t utilize a slide step which makes them slow to the plate. Something we do well as a team is taking bases on balls in the dirt. to throw any runner off their rhythm as a pitcher i would just hold the ball until the batter steps out once in a while, or be a deceptive lefty.
4) How do you approach the beginning of a season knowing it will most likely be cold for the first two months?
I try to keep moving at all times. Just before game time I’ll run sprints and do a dynamic warmup. In the outfield I’ll run hard towards ball not hit near just to keep moving. By doing this I’ve noticed that when I’m in the lineup I dont have much of a problem staying warm. A windy day is the only part of northeast baseball I don’t like.
