One day can change your life. West Aurora pitcher Zach Toma found that out on April 3.
When he woke up that sunny morning, the junior left-hander knew that he would be on the mound. But he had no idea what was in store for him — and what was in store for his opponent.
Toma ended up with 20 strikeouts in a stunning no-hitter for a 9-0 win over Joliet Central, and suddenly, people outside of the Blackhawks’ program were talking about the talk of the town.
“It got posted on Prep Baseball Report, I was the player of the week, and after that, things started to roll in for me,” Toma said. “They invited me to all-state games and that will do a lot for me.”
Especially after Toma, the 2025 Beacon-News/Courier-News Baseball Player of the Year, struck out the first 15 batters of the game. That performance shocked everyone in attendance.
The only thing preventing Toma’s effort from being a perfect game was a dropped third strike on the second-to-last batter. It even prompted a phone call to former coach Dave Rowell.
“Pretty remarkable,” West Aurora coach John Reeves said. “I called (Rowell) and said, ‘Did you ever see anything like that?’ He had some pitchers that were drafted, but that’s pretty remarkable.
“(Toma) was like, ‘Why aren’t they hitting the ball?’ I said, ‘Just keep executing your pitches.’ He got noticed then. We knew what kind of player he was. At that point, people knew who he was.”
But Toma still was taken aback as the game unfolded.
“I’ve had games like that where I’ll strike out the first six guys,” Toma said. “It got to a point where it kept going. Everything was working for me. It almost felt like it was fake for a little bit.”
Toma rolled that momentum into a dominant season, both on the mound and with the bat.
Besides going 7-2 with 99 strikeouts and a 1.07 ERA in 65 1/3 innings for West Aurora (27-7). Toma also was a force in the middle of the order, batting .459 with six homers and 46 RBIs.
As a pitcher, he only allowed 35 hits and 16 walks. At the plate, he also scored 33 runs and added 10 doubles. His RBI total came up only two shy of the program’s single-season record.
“He put in the hard work in the offseason,” Reeves said of Toma. “He played football, which I think playing another sport is helpful. When he came back over the summer, he got taller and thicker. Once football was done, he was in the weight room.
“We even thought he could have been better. For us, we’re excited about next year, what he can bring to the table as a senior, learning the game more, understanding how to pitch better and just maturing as a player.”
Bartlett coach Alex Coan has been on the other end of Toma’s game and came away impressed.
“He’s by far one of the best pitchers in the state,” Coan said. “I will go to war for that on. Locates well, mixes it up really well.”
College interest started to ramp up for Toma after the no-hitter, with several schools making contact. The only question now remains — hitting or pitching?
“I would love to go to college and hit,” he said. “I love hitting. I’ve always been a good pitcher. I worked hard and it showed with the bat. If I could go two-way, that would be the dream.”
The attention only figures to increase this summer with his new travel team, Top Tier West. An extensive travel schedule and a star-studded roster figure to bring plenty of attention his way.
“It’s a lot of driving, but I think it’s worth the amount of attention we’re getting,” Toma said. “The nerves are there. They’ve always been there. I’m very excited, especially with the new team.
“I have to work harder to get seen more. It’s that feeling of I have to be better and I have to work hard to make myself look good in front of these college coaches.”
Paul Johnson is a freelance reporter for The Beacon-News.
