Zuniga helps Angels win title

On Monday, he may have started concentrating on play-calls and blitzing linebackers as the front-runner quarterback for the 2009 Nogales High School Apaches football team, but on July 29, incoming senior Keith Zuniga verbally committed to play baseball for the University of Arizona — and plans to sign a letter of intent in November.

Because a majority of the money goes into the football and basketball programs at U of A, Zuniga said the Wildcats don’t pay full rides for baseball, but they will pay for his classes, meals and books. If all goes according to plan, he will just have to pay for lodging if he heads north next year.

Zuniga, who had a 3.1 grade point average as a junior, said he is undecided about his college major.

In preparation for the step to Division I collegiate ball, Zuniga spent the summer pitching for the Angels White 17-U team, which won the American Amateur Baseball Congress Don Mattingly World Series in Albuquerque, N.M., on Saturday. The Angels defeated Albuquerque Baseball Academy 8-5 to secure the crown.

“It was a lot of fun,” Zuniga said. “It was a great experience.”

On the mound, Zuniga recorded one win and three saves in the eight-game series.

Zuniga pitched a scoreless 7th inning on the last day, picking up his third save in three days and preserving the win and the championship for the Angels.

“He had a great series for us â€- and a great year for us,” said Angels head coach Kevin Hawthorne. “He’s a great guy to have on the team.”

The Angels finished their 2009 campaign with a 29-7 record after playing every Tuesday and Thursday at Tempe Diablo Stadium beginning in late May.

On the season, Zuniga recorded 34 innings on the mound, gave up 26 hits, 6 earned runs, and threw 21 walks and 51 strikeouts. His ERA was 1.59.

“His ball moves so much. That’s why he was so successful,” Hawthorne said. “As a head coach, it’s huge to have a closer like Keith. It’s a great feeling to have someone that can slam the door shut on anybody.”

A bit intimidated at first, Zuniga said, “I knew I had to come in and work harder. I didn’t think it was going to be easy. It was a wake up call.”

Zuniga woke up to the fact that all the kids involved in AABC play “are chosen for a reason. It’s more competitive” than high school ball, he said.

After racking up a 9-1 record on the mound for the 2009 Apaches, Zuniga said it took about a week before he began play with the Phoenix-based Angels.

It was at the beginning of that 2009 season, though, that a Tucson scout first approached him about playing for the Angels.

Most of the Angels team hail from Phoenix, with a few from Tucson. But coming from a smaller city like Nogales didn’t pose a problem when it came to team chemistry.

“These are a great group of kids, and (Keith) fit right in,” Hawthorne said. “He’s got a great attitude, and he’s a great competitor.”