June 30, 2009

LOWELL -- Zac Roy is no longer a centerfielder incognito.

The sun finally came out yesterday. The coach put Roy in the game. And the former Lowell High star was in centerfield doing what he does best, tracking down baseballs in the gap.

Few players get a jump on a fly ball like Roy. This summer he is patrolling the outfield for the Lowell Post 87 American Legion team while preparing to jump-start his college career at UMass Lowell.

Roy graduated from Lowell High in 2008 and attended Newberry College this past school year, a Division 2 baseball program in South Carolina, where he was red-shirted.

He did a whole lot of practicing and watching during his time at Newberry. Now that he's decided to transfer to UMass Lowell, the former Sun Player of the Year, who finished his varsity career with the Red Raiders' records for hits (101), runs scored (75) and stolen bases (56), is eager to get back in the game.

"Sitting there watching and not being able to do anything (at Newberry) was terrible," said Roy. "Practicing was great. We'd have four or five hour practices. Then game time came and all I could do was sit and watch.

"They gave me a choice to be on the bench or help out in the stands. I'd be up in the stands. Being on the bench and not playing would be too much. I didn't really go there intending to red-shirt. But it worked out for the better because I can come back and play at UMass Lowell for four years." Roy opted to play at Newberry coming out of high school because he wanted to play baseball at a college down south. But Newberry just wasn't the right fit for him. He's hoping his homecoming will ended up with him finding a home in UMass Lowell's outfield.

"Newberry called me and asked me to come down for a visit and I had wanted to play down south for a while," said Roy. "So I ended up going down there. I liked what I saw in the beginning, but the location of the school was in a very rural area. My coming back is not so much because I was homesick. It was more of the location of the school.

"UMass Lowell contacted me when I was in high school, but it was after I had committed. It's nice to come back home and play for a great program. Nothing will be given to me. I have to work for my playing time. I'm looking forward to it. This is where I'm from. It's going to be fun playing at LeLacheur Park all the time."

Roy, 19, is still in the process of shaking off the rust of not playing this spring. Post 87 has had a staggered start to its season due to the wet weather. But the more live at-bats Roy gets the better he feels at the plate. He had 2 hits in a win over Tyngsboro on Wednesday.

"He's the same guy he's always been," said Post 87 coach Scott Jaracz. "Nothing seems to bother him. He's been such a great player. He stays on the same keel. He may get a little frustrated at times, but you never know whether he made an out or got a hit. He never seems to get too high or too low. That may be a key to his success.

"We haven't played a whole lot of games. The games have been spread out. But he's staring to hit the ball. He plays great outfield defense. We're looking for him to get back in the swing of things and play the way he's capable of playing."

What Roy is most capable of doing offensively, is getting hits in bunches and creating havoc on the base paths. His senior year at Lowell High, Roy batted .413 with 38 runs scored, 20 RBI and 27 stolen bases. He followed that up by playing a key role in Post 87's drive deep into the American Legion State Tournament.

"He enjoys himself out there," said Jaracz. "The way he carries himself. The way he plays the game, He plays with a lot of passion and has a lot of fun."

Roy (5-9, 175) hopes to help lead Post 87 to another state tournament berth. More importantly, playing for Post 87 will help make up for lost time as he prepares to play at UMass Lowell.

"It feels good just to be back out there playing in games," said Roy. "Seeing live pitching again has taken some time to adjust to. I was pretty anxious the first two games. But I know I can't get up there and start hacking at everything."

Sooner or later you have to believe Roy will settle into a groove at the plate, and once he does he can detonate an entire batting order.

"Defensively, I think he can play (at UMass Lowell) right now," said Jaracz. "He has to go there and prove he can hit with a wooden bat. He has the speed to play there.

"He just has to consistently put the good part of the bat on the baseball, which he is capable of doing."