Zach MacDonald Slugging His Way to History

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Zach MacDonald is one of the top home run hitters in Miami Baseball history.

And for a program that's been around since 1915, that's saying something.

"We've talked a lot about the history of the program with our guys since last fall," said first-year head coach Brian Smiley. "That's what? 109 years of baseball? To be leading in anything is incredible."

"Not only does it take the natural ability, it takes playing when maybe you're not 100 percent. It takes some grit and toughness to be in the lineup that many times and to produce the numbers that get you on top of a record book with such a long history. Zach MacDonald

"So to me, it goes a lot further than just Zach's ability to hit home runs. It's his ability to want to serve his team. And you do that by being able to be tough enough to play through your lows."

MacDonald enters this week's MAC Tournament with 20 home runs on the season and 43 for his career. His next homer would tie not only the single-season Miami record (21 by Mike Ferris in 2004), but also the career mark (44, established by Michael Carlin from 2000-03).

MacDonald has made his presence felt in the lineup since his freshman year, when he became the first RedHawk to reach double-digits in homers since Ross Haffey did it in 2018. However, he's taken a monster jump forward in his junior season, not just from a slugging perspective, but hitting for average as well.

The All-MAC First-Team selection enters postseason play with a team-best .345 batting average, nearly 100 percentage points higher than the .251 mark he posted in 2023. He leads or co-leads the Mid-American Conference in homers (20), runs scored (65) and slugging percentage (.711), and has helped Miami earn its first trip to the MAC Tournament in five years.

"The main thing for me, from last year to this year, has been improving my timing and my pitch recognition," explained MacDonald. "I believe those are the two most important things in hitting.

Zach MacDonald

"I implemented a little bit of a leg lift in the batter's box, just so I could start sooner to be slow and early. That's helped me see the ball better and react to whatever pitch is thrown."

Putting in time and work to improve at the plate is nothing new for MacDonald, who has been playing the sport since his tee-ball days as a four- and five-year old.

"My dad played in college for a year at Detroit Mercy, and he started me really young," said MacDonald. "He'd take me to the cages and we'd train, and I just really loved that. The bonding experience with my dad and I just helped me to stay in the game.

"It's always been a dream of mine to play in college. I didn't really care what level it was…I just fell in love with the game and wanted to keep playing."

Sports ran in MacDonald's family as a youngster (and still do— his twin sister, Jordan, is also a Division I athlete, playing volleyball for LIU). The Portage, Mich. native played soccer until middle school before realizing that balancing travel baseball, travel basketball and soccer —all at the same time!— wasn't sustainable for the long term and something had to go.

After a significant amount of success at the high school level, including helping his hoops team to its first-ever district title and making a run to the state championship game in baseball, MacDonald made the move to Miami. He committed to the RedHawks' program in September 2020 without even visiting Oxford.

"That's how things were back in that COVID era," MacDonald shrugged. "But I'd heard only great things about the school, the alumni network and the campus." It helped that Carson Byers, a travel ball teammate, had committed to the Red and White a month earlier and would be joining him at Miami.

"Zach is one of the best hitters I've ever played with," said Byers. "Yet he still shows up to the park each and every single day with something to prove, and he motivates our team as a whole with that attitude…it's been a major blessing learning from him for so many years."
Zach MacDonald

MacDonald settled in comfortably at the college level right away, as the Business Analytics major started 44 games during his freshman season and recorded a 14-game hitting streak in the process.

"After my high school season, I played in the Great Lakes Collegiate League. That 20 or 25 games playing against college pitching was a bridge that really helped get me ready for the fall," said MacDonald. "If I had gone straight from facing high school pitching to college, it would have been a much bigger learning curve."

And while the win-loss record wasn't what MacDonald and his teammates would have hoped for in years one and two, Miami turned the corner this spring under Smiley. "I feel like he's helped all of our baseball IQ levels go up; he just gets us thinking more about the game," MacDonald said. As a result, the Red and White secured a top-four finish in the league standings (bolstered by a nine-game winning streak entering the month of May), with MacDonald's prowess at the plate being a significant factor in the RedHawks' success.

"He had the tools to be a good hitter, but looking at past stats and numbers, it just seemed like he maybe needed a change of approach," Smiley said.

Zach MacDonald

"Fast forward a bit into fall practice: Watching him work and the consistency he showed up with every day, never complaining, and his character off the field, it was apparent right away that he is a special player…

"It takes a lot of maturity to look yourself in the mirror and say, 'What I'm doing is fine, but it's not good enough.' And that's what he did. You tip your cap to him, because he changed. He transformed from an all-or-nothing type of guy into more of a complete hitter. Zach isn't up there trying to hit home runs; he's just trying to get on first base and help his team…

"It's honestly really no surprise that he's doing what he's doing this season…and it's fun to watch, honestly."

Watch MacDonald hit home runs in back-to-back innings against in-state rival Xavier…or hear the roars from the McKie Field crowd when the MAC All-Defensive Team center fielder makes a SportsCenter-worthy diving catch against East Tennessee State…and one thing is clear: No matter how the conference tournament turns out this weekend in Avon, Ohio (and whether or not MacDonald breaks the home run records during Miami's run in the bracket), the junior slugger has a bright future, both on and off the field.

"I really enjoy going here, and I love Miami, so to have my name in the record books would be pretty special," MacDonald admitted. "But for me, I'm just trying to stay in the present. If it happens, it will be a cool moment. If it doesn't, I'll just keep going… Zach MacDonald

"I want to play baseball at the next level and do that for as long as I can. But I also know that with going here to Miami, I will be graduating with a great degree. I don't know exactly what path that will take me on, but I know I'll be set with whatever happens."

Smiley echoed those sentiments. "You can't say enough good things about him; he's the poster boy, really, for any program," Smiley said.

"He's a great teammate. He's a great leader. He's an unbelievable player. He affects the defense. He affects the offense. He affects the baserunning.

"He affects every aspect of the game in a positive way. Then you have the way he is off the field.

"His value? You can't put an amount on it."

Find more Front Row Features at: MiamiRedHawks.com/FrontRowFeatures

Zach MacDonald and the RedHawks begin postseason play Wednesday, May 22 at 6 p.m. against fifth-seeded Kent State at Crushers Stadium in Avon, Ohio. Follow along with the MAC Baseball Tournament on Championship Central here.

Zach MacDonald Slugging His Way to History

Players Mentioned

Carson Byers

Zach MacDonald

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