Penn Hills grad heads south to continue college baseball career

By: Josh Rizzo
Sunday, April 30, 2023 | 11:01 AM

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Josh Zambito ventured up to the University of Maine for a semester, but didn’t find the right fit, so the 2021 Penn Hills graduate decided to hit the transfer portal.

Zambito’s journey took him to Motlow State Junior College in Tennessee. After a strong fall, Zambito committed to Mississippi Valley State, which competes in the Southwest Athletic Conference.

So far this spring, Zambito has been limited to six games and is hitting .214 for the Bucks.

“I’ve had four injuries since I’ve been here. I tore my labrum in the fall,” said Zambio, who plays at catcher. “I’ve had limited at-bats. It hasn’t been a great situation. The competition here is great. I haven’t been healthy at all.”

Zambito’s trek down south came after he was recruited primarily by the coaching staff direct messaging him through Twitter. Shortly after he decided to leave Maine, Zambito felt a connection with the staff at Motlow State.

“I really liked the way the coaches ran things,” Zambito said. “I liked the whole vibe I got from the program. A lot of good players came from Motlow, and they had a talented squad.”

Zambito found that being immersed in a different baseball culture served him well, even when he struggled from the plate. As a freshman, Zambito hit .174 in nine games at Motlow State.

What Zambito learned was that his approach needed some fine-tuning.

“Southern baseball is a lot different,” Zambito said. “I had to learn to be more of a hitter and not just a swinger. The game is just different, and I’ve really fit. There’s a lot of moving parts.”

Where Zambito thinks he’s seen the biggest turnaround is behind the plate.

When he’s playing on defense, Zambito feels like he moves better. That has come in part due to his body changing.

“I’m way more mobile. I’ve dropped 20 pounds,” Zambito said. “We have several guys who throw over 90 and having the opportunity to catch them every day has helped. (Losing weight) just kind of happened. It’s a lot warmer here.”

Zambito is looking forward to his next challenge with Mississippi Valley State. The Delta Devils are 10-30 this season and 2-16 in SWAC play.

“It’s a new coaching staff and (new) look at the program,” Zambito said. “All of the coaches are young guys and played in the SWAC. There are a lot of good things happening there. If this was a business, I would want to invest.”

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