Latrobe product Kokoska causing stir for Kansas State

Zach Kokoska was on the path to becoming a pitcher in college.

No, really.

“I was a left-hander who could throw 90 (mph),” the former Latrobe standout said. “Coaches jumped all over that.”

But when he began to hit for power and average, that ship quickly sailed. When he left Virginia Tech for Kansas State with a chip on his shoulder and the business end of his bat aimed at the bleachers, it was quite clear Kokoska belonged in the batting order every game and needed to become a fixture in the outfield.

Players with offensive potential like his don’t belong cooped up a bullpen.

“Baseball is a funny game,” the junior said. “When I was at Virginia Tech, they wanted me to prove I could hit and play defense. A lot of times college guys come in as pitchers and end up becoming position players — or the other way around.”

With a team-best eight home runs in Kansas State’s first 19 games of this season, and a few highlight-reel defensive plays, Kokoska has become a force in the Big 12.

They call him “Koko.” Opponents might refer to him as Koko Beware.

Kokoska took a hot bat — a .309 average, 22 runs and 22 RBIs — into the week. In a weekend series against New Mexico, he was 6 for 13 with two homers and nine RBIs. He belted a grand slam Sunday in a 17-8 victory.

It was the second 4-RBI game of the season for the smooth-swinging lefty. The other time he went 3 for 5 with two homers against South Dakota State.

“Stats bring stress so I don’t really worry about them,” said Kokoska, who hit eight homers in 2019 in 53 games. “It’s about relaxing and having fun. Be in the present and (don’t) worry about what happened in the last at-bat or game.”

Kokoska doesn’t stop often to admire his work. He analyzes his previous plate trips, yes, but only to improve the next one.

“You go off a checklist,” he said. “Did I swing at strikes? Did I hit it hard? Did I chase? You think about those things but then you flush each at-bat and move on to the next pitch.”

Kokoska, who has a cool demeanor inside the chalk lines and seems to be having a blast rounding the bases, has hit some moon shots for the Wildcats (13-6). His eight homers had him tied him for third most in the country in Division I.

“Zach’s been big for us lately,” coach Pete Hughes said. “He’s shown patience at the plate, and he is seeing the ball really well right now. After a little bit of a slow start at the beginning of the year, he’s really stepped up for us when we’ve needed it.

“We know what he’s capable of, we’ve seen it, so it was only a matter of time before his bat came to life.”

While bouncing between the No. 2 and 5 spot in the lineup, and seeing time in center and right, Kokoska has found a rhythm he likes at a school he likes even more.

“I told them I could play here, and they all believed in me from the start,” Kokoska said. “All my best friends play for K-State, and my home right now is Manhattan (Kansas).”

He also has a routine down in class. Kokoska was an Academic All-Big 12 First Team selection last year with a 4.0 GPA.

He was an All-Big 12 honorable mention in 2019, and D1baseball.com had him listed as the No. 71 best outfielder in the country.

Kokoska will be on many draft boards come June.

Kansas State had played 17 games last season when the pandemic forced the cancellation of the rest of the schedule. Kokoska was hitting .349 with one homer and nine RBIs before the shutdown.

Like a long-passed at-bat, he is not dwelling too much on what could have been. His attention is squarely on the present.

“Last year when the season got canceled, it made you realize how much you love the game,” he said. “It’s amazing to be back and playing every day.”