Kane County Chronicle Athlete of the Week: Jake Zitella, St. Charles East, baseball, senior

Name: Jake Zitella

Sport: Baseball

Why he was selected: Zitella slugged two home runs as St. Charles East took the rubber game of a three-game series with St. Charles North, winning 4-2. Zitella was voted the Athlete of the Week in an online vote. Here is his Q&A with Joshua Welge.

Welge: You guys just won two of three from North in a very competitive series. What did you learn about your team?

Zitella: I learned that we are a super competitive team. We went into all those games knowing they are a tough team and we fought every inning and every pitch. After we lost the first game it upset us a lot but we brought that anger into the next two games for sure. Our pitching was unstoppable for all three of the games we played. Our guys went out and did their job and threw strikes. Everybody on the team brought energy whether they were in the lineup or not, and everybody wanted to win.

Welge: I saw you just became your school’s career home run record holder. What does that mean to you?

Zitella: I think it’s pretty cool. Ever since I was young, I’ve always wanted to beat a record at St. Charles East, especially home runs. I didn’t really know I broke it until my coach told me at the end of the game and gave me the ball. It was a moment for sure. It also feels good because the record was held by Jim Craine who was a draft pick by the Twins. I thought it was cool I beat a record by a guy that got drafted because it’s my dream to be drafted.

Welge: I read that you had several MLB scouts at a recent game watching you. How do you handle that extra attention?

Zitella: I think it’s cool. I’m chasing my dream, taking everything day by day and doing what I can to get better every single day. I just play the game and have fun. I don’t try to do anything extra. I just play my own game and try to help my team win. My dream and goal is to be drafted by the end of the summer this year so hopefully I can stay hot and have a shot at it.

Welge: How motivated is your team to go on a deep postseason run this year?

Zitella: We haven’t really thought about the playoffs yet. We stay in the present. We are more focused on winning the conference right now. At the moment, we are two games away from winning conference and we are focused on that. We take everything day by day and try to stay in the present.

Welge: Do you have a favorite team and player in MLB?

Zitella: Chicago Cubs are my favorite team because it’s my hometown team. My family are huge Cubs fans! My favorite player is Francisco Lindor because I love the way he plays to have fun. He competes and is a super talented player but he also has fun and he’s always smiling when he’s playing baseball. I look up to him a lot. I try to have fun in the game just like he does.