Former Missoula Osprey Clay Zavada was the winning pitcher in last nights Dback-Marlin game.
Great story - this is from a 2008 article:
http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd ... p&c_id=mlb
Zavada shines in comeback summer
D-backs prospect overcomes loss of father in award-winning season
Change is the only constant in Minor League Baseball, so it can be tough to develop long-term rooting interests. But, as everyone knows, sports are a lot more fun when you have someone to cheer for.
So here's a simple tip: root for Clay Zavada. No matter what team he's pitching for, this is a guy worthy of your support.
Zavada won the MiLBY for Class A Reliever of the Year, and for good reason. Despite the fact that he didn't make his 2008 affiliated debut until June 21, the 24-year-old southpaw still put up numbers that could reasonably be called "otherworldly." Over 24 appearances with the South Bend Silver Hawks, Zavada went 3-1 with eight saves and an 0.51 ERA.
Opponents hit just .056 against him and he ended the season by hurling 30 2/3 consecutive scoreless innings.
The Illinois native followed that up with a dominating postseason in which he notched three saves and struck out five over three shutout frames as the Silver Hawks made it to the final round of the Midwest League playoffs.
But statistics, in and of themselves, do not constitute a sufficient reason to root for a player. It's the context in which they are achieved that makes the story, and this story is a great one.
Zavada's professional career began in 2006, following three seasons with Division II University of Southern Illinois-Edwardswille. After being selected by the Diamondbacks in the 30th round of that year's Draft, he played his first Minor League season with Rookie-level Missoula. There, he went 2-3 with a 3.47 ERA over 22 relief appearances, striking out 51 over 49 1/3 innings as the Osprey won the Pioneer League championship.
Following his successful foray into the Minor Leagues, Zavada returned to his hometown of Streator, Ill. That December, tragedy struck.
"My dad died at age 55 and we weren't expecting it," said Zavada. "My mom had passed away when I was younger and now I lost him as well. My brother is in the Navy, so it became up to me to take care of our house and our farm. I decided to take a year off in order to figure out what the hell was going on.
"My dad worked and died for the place I'm at right now, so I felt like I had more important things to attend to than baseball."
One of those things was return to college to complete his education.
"I had promised to my dad that I'd get my degree, so that was something I had to do, both for myself and for him," said Zavada. "There are a lot of idiots like me out there who go to Division II schools and don't get a signing bonus. And a lot of 'em are out of the sport by age 26 or 27, with no degree and no idea what to do. Playing baseball is great, but you've got to have a backup plan."
The 2007 season may have been a "year off" when it came to baseball, but considering the circumstances, it was anything but relaxing.
