Zach

What do they love most about playing their sport(s)?

What I love most is competing with heart, grinding through tough moments, and battling alongside my teammates. Win or lose, we’re family. Sports has taught me lessons I’ll carry for life — stay humble when you win, bounce back when you lose, never quit on your team. It’s also why I volunteer with Special Olympics-sharing the game I love with athletes who play with more joy and heart than anyone. Baseball, basketball, soccer — it all comes back to the same thing. Love for game and lifting my team

Who inspires them—on or off the field—and why?

On the field, my parents and twin brother inspire me most. My parents sacrifice so much to get me to every practice/ tournaments, and my brother pushes me to work harder everyday. Off the field, it’s the Special Olympics athletes I volunteer with — they face obstacles I can’t imagine and persevere every single time. What drives me is a bigger dream, to be the first Pakistani baseball player to go D1 and make it to the MLB. Nobody’s done it yet, I’m not just playing for myself it’s bigger than me

What’s one moment in their athletic journey that makes you proudest?

Last year at Cooperstown, down 8–6 in the last inning of the quarterfinals, Zach hit a game-winning 3-run homer on an 0-2 pitch to win 9–8. A Disney movie ending. But instead of going bananas with his teammates, my son found the opposing pitcher to reassure him he was an amazing pitcher and to keep “chucking gas.” That’s when I knew he wasn’t just a competitor — he was all heart. As a mother, I couldn’t be prouder of who he is on and off the field.