Purdue Catcher Zac Fascia Is Going To Be Just Fine
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — The past 48 hours have felt unreal. The world of sports, which is often turned to in dire times as a comforting escape, is directly in the midst of these unbelievable circumstances.
COVID-19, better known as coronavirus, has become a pandemic in the world and is now responsible for canceling the 2020 NCAA men's and women's basketball tournaments, as well as all other remaining NCAA winter and spring sports championships. The virus also has forced play to be suspended in the NBA, NHL and MLB.
Before the NCAA decided to pull the plug on Thursday, I arrived at Alexander Field on Purdue's campus for an interview, and when I stepped out of my car, I took a deep breath and faced reality that this may be the last time I write a story about Purdue baseball because of the circumstances at hand.
What I soon realized was that Purdue star catcher Zac Fascia was experiencing his last association with Purdue baseball, too. Barring any changes by the NCAA regarding allowing seniors in spring sports to keep their eligibility, it appears that Fascia's collegiate baseball career will come to an abrupt end. It all feels unfair.
However, Fascia is going to be just fine.
Fascia, the junior college product who played his first season at Purdue last year, quickly became a staple at the catcher position and a leader in the Boilermakers' dugout. Purdue coaches aren't the only ones who noticed Fascia's impact right away at the Division I level.
Fascia recently was named to the Buster Posey Award initial watch list for the second consecutive year.
"I mean, I'm just trying to do what the coaches preach every day, which is being consistent," Fascia said. He certainly has lived up to that leading the team in doubles, home runs and RBI's last season as the team’s offensive player of the year.
He hasn't missed a beat this season either, starting 10 of 14 games behind the plate and reaching base safely in the first 11 games.
On defense, Fascia has thrown out five base stealers this season and 23 in his 49 games behind the plate since joining the Boilermakers. He gunned down a Big Ten-high 18 base stealers a season ago.
The Brampton, Ontario native began to play the game of baseball to follow in his father's footsteps of playing collegiate baseball, but it always wasn't his go-to sport. "As a kid growing up, I was always a hockey fan. I loved playing hockey. I was actually a goalie in hockey," Fascia explained. He noted that hockey made him tougher playing his native sport at an early age.
"I wouldn't say catcher was my first choice, but when I started playing, my dad was the coach and nobody wanted to catch, so he put me back there and I ended up being pretty good at it, so I stuck back there," said Fascia.
The standout catcher played his JUCO ball at Indian Hills College in Iowa, where he was a two-time Region XI Defensive Player of the Year. "Being able to go the JUCO route helped me a lot because I think it made me tougher, made me mentally tougher and physically stronger and also it let me play everyday."
His performance was noticed by pro scouts as well and he was selected by the New York Mets in the 37th round of the 2018 MLB Draft after his sophomore season. He had opportunities to move on the professional ranks again in 2019, but wanted to return for his senior season at Purdue.
"Being thankful for everything that I have here (Purdue) is a big thing," said Fascia.
Fascia may have put on the Purdue jersey for the final time, but this seems just like another part of the plan for him. This change of course, no matter how abrupt, will only make him better.
"I think every little kid's dream is to play Major League Baseball, so I wouldn't say I always thought I was going to be there, but it's definitely always been a dream of mine and I'm going to keep pushing until I get there," Fascia said before the shutdown announcement came.
"The biggest thing that I've kind of tried to focus on is being consistent, whether it be on the field or in the classroom or even just mentally being the same guy every day, being a guy my teammates are always open to talk to whenever they need something and just kind of staying even-keeled, whether we're on a 10-game losing streak or a 10-game win streak," Fascia said.
The senior catcher cares. He cares about Purdue, and he cares about the sport of baseball. He cares about reaching his goals and dreams, and even though this spring is throwing him a curveball, he will land on his feet.
He'll be just fine.