As a junior, Evan Zwolenik had a season most players would relish and cherish.

Zwolenik posted a 7-1 record with a 1.04 ERA with 59 strikeouts in 67 innings and spearheaded Northampton to its first conference championship since 1998.

It was the kind of campaign that could make most high-school hurlers gain a further sense of comfort and confidence.

Zwolenik isn’t one of them.

“I knew I had a good year,” said Zwolenik. “I’m never satisfied. I still need to work on a couple of things.”

“I did a lot of training in the offseason and really worked with weights. I know I can do better.”

Zwolenik was pleased with the apparent results of his offseason efforts, raising the effectiveness of his fastball from the high 70s to the mid 80s.

Along with his fastball, Zwolenik had a curveball and change-up in his arsenal and has been working on a knuckleball during the recent state of athletics.

“During the offseason, I wanted to try and add another pitch,” said Zwolenik. “I have been tinkering around with a knuckleball for a while.

“With what is going on, I had some more time to work on it (knuckleball).”

Sugra wanted to further appreciate Zwolenik’s contributions this year, but as we all know the season was canceled. However there is still hope for a tournament (see story to the right) early in August featuring many area teams.

“You don’t to have those type of talents on your team year-to-year like we were fortunate to have,” stated Sugra in reference to Zwolenik. “He was the pitcher of the year last season.

“To think about not having a season and being unable to see that kind of talent pitch every fourth day [really hurts].”

Zwolenik has done his part during the layoff, as he is able to throw with the help of a catch net and works out three to four times a week. He also got a part-time job at the Giant supermarket to help fill the void.

Yet, the thought of being able not to play his senior season was still a troubling one.

“It’s really tough,” he stressed. “We all were pretty locked in already and it hit hard. We had a good summer and fall, and we were working to get better every day. This was the first year we were able to get outside in a long time.

“Last year, we had talent and not many people saw that. The expectations have been high for us.”

Whatever the final outcome, Zwolenik plans to continue his career at Northampton Community College next fall.

“I looked at all of the offers, and Northampton has a great player development program,” said Zwolenik. “They have a great coaching staff and spend a lot of time with their players. Also, it is close to home.”

For now, Zwolenik and the Kids are hoping to get one last chance.

“I hope we can play during the summer,” he said. “It will be the last time I can spend with some of my teammates. We are a bunch of really close friends, and it can be a special time.

“I know I am in pretty good shape, and I will set a high bar for myself. I know I have to keep working to get better.”