Toutle Lake's Zach Swanson is SBLive's WaFd Bank 2B/1B Senior Boy Athlete of the Year
A time existed when stout Toutle Lake High School two-sport standout Zach Swanson was the smallest kid in his family.asdasd
So, he had to make up the difference in other ways.
Usually with a fit of passion.
"If you compete in our family, you better suck it up," said Eric Swanson, Zach's father - and also the longtime boys basketball coach and athletic director at Toutle Lake. "He had cousins who cut him no slack."
Especially with a whiffle ball bat in his hands. Once, after he struck out as a 7-year-old boy, he grabbed first base and ran off with it into nearby woods.
"I had a little temper," Zach Swanson said. "I was definitely very competitive. When a call didn't go my way, I had a few choice words for the umpire - which was my dad."
Zach Swanson never lost that fire, and grew up to become one of the most accomplished athletes coming out of the state of Washington, especially in the Class 2B ranks.
He is the top pitching prospect in Washington for the class of 2024, and the Oregon State University signee very well could hear his name called early in the upcoming 2024 MLB Draft. He also graduates as one of the top basketball scorers in state history.
Swanson is also SBLive WA's 2023-24 senior boy multi-sport athlete of the year in Class 2B/1B.
"Zach has always been a multi-sport athlete," said the elder Swanson. "He played soccer, baseball, basketball. He was the quarterback of the football until junior high school."
When you are the son of the town's prolific basketball coach, it is assumed your path starts - and ends - on the hardwood.
But at age 14, Zach Swanson began showing off a blazing pitching arm in baseball, and suddenly the tide of his future shifted.
"He started to blossom," Eric Swanson said. "Gregg Swenson (his Coast-to-Coast summer coach and also a former D1 assistant) told him, 'You have a gift in baseball.'"
At national showcases last summer, Zach Swanson really began showcasing his refined pitching arsenal - a wipeout slider to go along with a mid-90s fastball - to climb up the national prospects list.
And yet, even as a rising prospect before his senior year, the teenager never allowed his basketball work to drop off (as well as his new concentrated muscle-adding workouts).
"Last summer was tough. I was maybe home for 13 days during baseball," Swanson said. "When August hit and summer leagues picked up ... that is where i found my shot (for basketball)."
What became his mind-clearing activity during the hectic schedule?
"Hitting golf balls," he said.
It all led to him having a dynamic senior season in both basketball and baseball.
"Basketball has been part of my life for the last 10 years. It's hard to let go of it," Swanson said. "But I am excited for the future in baseball."
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ZACH SWANSON BIO
School: Toutle Lake.
Sports: Basketball, baseball.
Next step: Signed to play baseball at Oregon State University (NCAA Division I) where he will also study business. Also projects as a pick in the top three rounds of the upcoming 2024 MLB Draft,
Senior-year highlights: Was 2B Central first-team selection at guard in basketball (23.4 points, 7.3 rebounds, 3.2 assists per game), leading Toutle Lake to a third-place District 4 finish and appearance at the WIAA tournament. Named to 2B all-state first team by SBLive WA and all-area team by The (Longview) Daily News, and was selected to play in Washington Interscholastic Basketball Coaches Association (WIBCA) senior all-state game. Set program’s single-game scoring mark (49 points) in district playoff win over Chief Leschi. … Was 2B Central first-team selection as a pitcher in baseball (6-1, 1.66 earned-run average, 111 strikeouts in 50-plus innings; also batted .462), leading Toutle Lake to a league and District 4 title, and third-place finish at the WIAA tournament. Named to all-classification all-state team by SBLive WA and is No. 1 ranked baseball prospect in Washington for class of 2024.
Career accomplishments: With 2,675 points, leaves as school’s all-time leading basketball scorer - and No. 4 all-classification scorer in state history. Holds seven program records. Was all-2B Central selection for four seasons, including league MVP nod as junior in 2022-23. Was 2B all-state and all-area selection in final three seasons. Led school to a pair of WIAA tournament berths (2022, 2024). … Was all-2B Central baseball selection and Cowlitz County all-area selection for four seasons, and was 2B all-state pick in final three seasons. Led school to three consecutive WIAA final-four appearances, including state runner-up finish in 2022 to Brewster. Also a two-time Gatorade state player of the year nominee. … Was starting pitcher in 2023 USA Baseball All-American Game last summer at T-Mobile Park in Seattle.
School/community achievements: 3.5 GPA; served as senior-class officer; volunteered to run local youth basketball and baseball camps for three years; volunteered as umpire for Castle Rock youth baseball for three years.
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TODD MILES