Andrew Zapata greatest strength is his ability to remain calm when chaos surrounds him.
The Poly Prep righthander can block everything out –base-runners, fans, the opposition — and execute his pitch.
His college selection was similar.
Zapata, a flame-throwing 6-foot-1 rising senior who throws four pitches for strikes, had a swarm of top schools after him, elite programs from top conferences, from Kentucky, North Carolina State and LSU to Stanford, Ole Miss, St. John’s and Maryland. He surveyed them all and when the moment was right, pulled the trigger and picked UConn on Saturday.
To some, Zapata’s selection of UConn was an odd one. The Huskies are a cold-weather program not necessarily considered a northeast power under coach Jim Penders, despite reaching the NCAA Super Regionals in 2011. They hardly compare to the Kentuckys and LSUs of the world.
Zapata looked at it differently. Connecticut’s financial offer was “unrefusable,” he said. It has a top-rated kinesiology program, which is his academic focus, he will be given an opportunity to get on the mound almost immediately upon stepping foot on campus and his parents will be able to see him play, which many of the other schools on his list couldn’t offer.
“UConn is a great fit,” said Zapata, who has been on the shelf much of the spring with a broken bone in his foot. “I feel very comfortable there. I just loved it, everything about it.”
The Staten Island native added: “As long as I work real hard and prove the offer wasn’t a mistake, I can progress the most there. I felt like I didn’t want to wait. An offer like that is a once-in-a-lifetime offer.”
Zapata was particularly drawn to UConn by Penders and his coaching staff, all UConn alums determined to transform the program into a consistent winner. The staff has done a remarkable job sending players to the pro ranks. Under Penders, 34 players have either been drafted or signed by Major League teams, many of them pitchers.
“The development is evident from these high draft picks,” Zapata said. “That was very, very intriguing.”
Zapata’s summer coach, Ian Millman of the New York Nine, was initially surprised, too, considering the high-profile schools looking at his pupil. Once Zapata explained it, Millman was sold.
“If you get to know Andrew, he doesn’t think the way everybody else thinks, about the limelight and making decision for the purposes of impressing other people,” Millman said. “He was able to talk me through the process and it made perfect sense. When he was done, I completely agreed with why he was doing it.”
Millman thinks Zapata will make UConn’s conference rotation as a freshman and could possibly be a Friday night starter — the role given to the staff ace — soon thereafter.
His credentials are impeccable. In two years at Poly Prep, he has lost just once and led the Blue Demons to back-to-back NYSAISAA titles. In the championship games the last two years, he tossed one-hit complete games, was The Post’s All-City Player of the Year as a sophomore and All-City first team selection last spring.
“Ultimately, he’s going to come out of UConn with a solid degree from a great school and if he stays healthy and work hard, he’ll get a professional baseball opportunity with a solid signing bonus in three years,” Millman said.
It was that reasoning that sold Zapata once UConn upped its offer. Like he does on the mound, he blocked out every else and came to a decision. If it’s anything like one of his precise 90 mph fastballs, Zapata will be a mammoth success in Storrs.