By: Katie Nelson

Center Editor

Baseball star Zach Biller prepares for his fourth and final season of baseball here at LGHS before embarking on his collegiate career at Willamette University in the fall. Biller has continued to be an integral part of the team with his skills and the tight bond he shares with his teammates.

Biller first began playing baseball at three years old and hasn’t stopped since then, participating in Little League for many years in LG before playing in high school. Biller explained the joy he’s had from playing a sport at LGHS: “Just being a part of something, it’s really nice, you know. Also being at LG, [the] winning culture is really cool…just being able to compete every day… it’s really fun.” 

This year, he hopes that the team can continue building on their successes and make a deep run in the CCS playoffs. He said, “I think this year will actually be really good. You know, the last couple of years we’ve lost the first round of playoffs, and I think that this year we’ll get past that.” He added that whatever happens, he values the time he spends with his teammates and the fun they have together. 

Next year, Biller will continue his athletic career at Willamette University. While he said recruiting was tough, he’s happy with how everything panned out. He explained that recruiting for baseball is concentrated almost entirely during junior year and the summer before senior year: ”I was gone a lot [this past] summer. I went to Arizona a lot [on a] travel ball team…[It was a [lot of] going to showcases and college camps.” He added that recruiting is also a lot of “moving on from rejection. You start with a list of forty schools you’re talking to and it shrinks every day, but you find the one that’s right for you.” 

Biller said he began the process unsure of his recruiting prospects, explaining, “I guess like last year, I was kind of a late bloomer. I wasn’t supposed to play as much last year and I kind of earned that spot and it kind of blossomed from there into something I could pursue in the future.” 

Biller is looking forward to attending Willamette, describing, “I think what was really appealing for me for Willamette was, I mean, it might not be the most prestigious school in terms of acceptance rate and stuff like that but the teachers there are great and I had the opportunity to talk to some of them…Also the campus is awesome, you’re in the middle of Oregon, [and there’s] no more beautiful a place than Oregon.” He added that the school is perfect for him because it allows the opportunity to invest himself in both academics and sports: “With it being D3, there’s less rigor for baseball, so it allows me to do whatever major I want, so I get to do what I want to do, which is bio.”

Reflecting on his biggest inspiration, Biller said: “It’s kind of cliche but I would say my mom. She loves to do a bunch of different things and she always preaches whatever you do, do 100 percent when you’re doing it…Also being balanced in life, not being one dimensional, and I think it fits with my quality of life. Being able to do a bunch of things is great.” As a dedicated student-athlete with a holistic outlook on life, Biller will continue to excel in his baseball career and beyond.