When Zach Sefcik takes the field Monday with his Marist teammates in the Elite Eight of the Phil Lawler Summer Classic, things will be a bit different.
Sefcik’s dad, Kevin, Marist’s coach, won’t be there. Kevin had already committed to a trip to Cooperstown, N.Y., where his younger son, Luke, will be playing in a youth tournament.
Kevin Sefcik hopes to be back by Thursday if the RedHawks are still playing.
“Zach probably won’t have anyone yelling at him,” Kevin joked. “He’ll probably enjoy that.”
Zach, though, knows his dad will still have a presence at the tournament.
“I think he’ll still be the man behind the curtain pulling the strings,” Zach said. “He’ll know what’s going on and he’ll still be calling the shots.”
It’s been a special summer so far for the Sefciks.
A former major leaguer who just finished his first spring season as Marist’s coach, Kevin has watched his team blossom, taking their hitting to another level.
“I think our offense has really improved,” he said. “We were scoring two or three runs a lot of the time in the spring. We’ve been putting up three- and four-run innings out here.”
Zach, who will be a senior in the fall, has been a big part of it.
At the Richards Regional, in semifinal and final wins over Marian Catholic and Mount Carmel, respectively, he combined to go 4-for-7 with two doubles, three RBIs and three runs while running down anything hit his way in center field.
“It’s been great to get to see him really step up over the summer,” Kevin said. “He’s really looking to be one of the leaders of this team and take on that role, and he’s been playing really well.”
While Zach has enjoyed playing for his dad, it required a bit of a sacrifice on his part. When Kevin got the job last August, Zach transferred after attending Brother Rice for two years.
Making the move to the Crusaders’ rival school? Zach said it was “no big deal” but his dad knows it was.
“He won’t say it, but I know that transferring high schools after his sophomore year was tough for him,” Kevin said. “I know he basically did it for me. I really appreciate him doing that. He usually takes the brunt of it from me. If the team is struggling, we go home, and he still has to hear it when the other players don’t. I’m glad he puts up with that and it really is great getting to coach him.”
For Zach, it’s nothing new.
“I’ve played for him my whole life and I’m used to it,” Zach said. “It’s been good getting do it here in high school, though.”
Kevin, who has his number retired at Andrew and is a member of the St. Xavier Hall of Fame, played seven seasons in the majors, mostly with the Philadelphia Phillies. He was a .275 career hitter.
He set a high standard for Zach.
“When I was younger, I almost expected that I had to make it to the majors because of my dad,” Zach said. “Now I know that it’s a lot harder than that. I just want to be the best player I can be.”
Steve Millar is a freelance writer for the Daily Southtown.
Phil Lawler Summer Classic
Elite Eight
Monday’s games
At Benedictine
Marist vs. Notre Dame, 10 a.m.
Lincoln-Way North vs. Oak Park-River Forest, 12:30 p.m.
Marist/Notre Dame loser vs. Lincoln-Way North/Oak Park-River Forest loser, 3 p.m.
At North Central
St. Charles East vs. Libertyville, noon
South Elgin vs. Benet, 2:30 p.m.
St. Charles East/Libertyville loser vs. South Elgin/Benet loser, 5 p.m.
