Sophomore Zach Heeke follows in brother’s footsteps to play CMU baseball
For sophomore infielder Zach Heeke, the decision to play baseball and attend college at Central Michigan University was something he always had in mind.
His older brother, Ryan Heeke, was a five-year member of the Chippewas baseball team with his career coming to a close in 2016. Zach’s father, Dave Heeke, was the Athletic Director at CMU for 11 years from 2006 to 2017.
“I always knew I wanted to go to Central because of my brother,” Zach said. “My brother had a great experience here and I already had friends on the team. All of those were factors. He has a ton of pride for Central Michigan.”
Zach, who committed to CMU during his junior year at Mount Pleasant High School, said his father being the athletic director was not a factor in his decision. Instead, it had everything to do with his brother’s time in the Maroon and Gold.
When CMU head coach Steve Jaska was recruiting Zach, he had his eye on him from an early age. Even though Jaksa may have had an upper hand due to Zach’s family history at CMU, he went for him as he would with any recruit.
“With his brother being here, he grew up in the community,” Jaksa said. “He identified himself with Central Michigan baseball in many ways. For him, I don’t think there was a reason to go anywhere else.”
Zach’s father departed from CMU to Arizona on April 1, 2017, signing a five-year contract to become the athletic director for the Wildcats. Things quickly became different, but it helped the young infielder grow on and off the field.
“It’s different because I don’t have a place to go to see my parents on the weekend, but I matured a lot from it and learned about how to be on my own,” Zach said. “It’s nice to go home and fly to see my parents instead of just seeing my dad at practice.
“It was a great experience to have my dad here though."
Jaksa said Zach spoke with him the day his father left for Arizona. He told his coach that he was happy to “finally have the chance to be a normal college baseball player.”
The 6-foot-0, 190-pound infielder’s closest relative is his grandmother, who resides in Lansing. As a matter of fact, his grandmother is the only family member he has left in the state of Michigan.
As a freshman in the 2017 season, Zach played in 40 games, earning 25 starts. He hit .253 with five RBIs and 17 walks.
The 2018 season has been an improvement from Zach. He is batting .276 with four doubles, 12 RBIs, and 18 walks through 34 games. Of the 34 games, Zach has only missed two starts.
“I’ve learned how to control adversity,” Zach said. “I used to be hot-headed and would get upset about things. I’ve learned to accept failure because in baseball failing seven out of 10 times is wonderful.
“I just need to keep playing the game hard and doing things the right way.”
Jaksa, who has been coaching CMU since 2003, said he has seen growth in Zach over the course of just a season and a half.
“You go through a year and you learn on and off the field about what type of player you want to be,” Jaksa said. “He knows the game and wants to help us win. To help the team win means playing any position, hitting anywhere in the lineup and doing whatever to get on base.
“He plays hard and is a good teammate. When those characteristics are implemented into your program, it makes a big difference.”
Zach’s favorite part of being on the CMU baseball team is the bond he has built with his teammates. He said it’s just like family.
“I love playing at Theunissen Stadium,” Zach said. “I grew up playing there and have always wanted to play there. I also like being a role model to kids that play Little League here because that was me with my brother.”
