JUPITER, Fla. -- Zach Green can rest
now.
California. Texas. Mexico. Back to
California. Florida. Back to California again.
It's been a hectic 30 days for the
talented high school junior from Rocklin, Calif., spiced by a trip to Mexico
with the U.S. national team for a Pan Am tournament and capped this
week with an appearance at the WWBA World Championship in Florida.
"I think I've been home for a
total of maybe a week," Green said Sunday. "I've been exhausted the
past few days."
Green, 16, was in Houston from Sept.
25 through Oct. 6 for two-a-day practices with Team USA as it prepared for
the Pan Am games. Once the team was selected, they went to Mexico and
competed in the Pan Am tournament from Oct. 8 to Oct. 17.
"I think I lost like five
pounds," he said. "I didn't eat much."
The United States won the gold medal
and Green quickly flew home to California, arriving at approximately
12:30 a.m. on Oct. 18. He went to school this past Monday, Tuesday,
Wednesday and Thursday, then flew overnight from California to Florida and
arrived at the West Palm Beach airport at 11:40 a.m. on Friday, just an hour
before the Texas Sun Devils played their first game in the WWBA event.
"I got dressed on the way from
the airport," he said.
Although Green is from California,
he has friends on the Texas SunDevils and has played for them before. He didn't
want to skip the WWBA World Championship and let them down, although some
R&R at home after the Pan Am tournament might have been a good idea.
"I have a lot of teammates here
that are trying to get exposure," he said Sunday after the SunDevils
played their final game. "When you bring a good team here, more people
(scouts and college coaches) come to your games. The guys do a lot for me, so I
thought it would be a good time to return the favor."
Green, who attends Jesuit High
School, has already committed to Oregon State, so he didn't need the college
exposure for himself.
Green carries a 3.4 GPA in
school and said he's managed to keep up with most of his assignments, but
not all. "I've got to get home and work my butt off," he remarked.
"I've got three days of homework to do."
He's missed his mother's home
cooking, but more than anything he regrets missing important family
occasions.
"I missed my little sister's
birthday for the second year in a row for baseball, and I missed my dad's and
my older sister's birthday," he said. "So I've missed a lot of
important things, not only to me but to them. They'll be glad to see me when I
get back."
Lauren, his younger sister, turned
13 while he was gone. Jessica, his older sister, turned 19.
Green also has missed spending time
with Lindsee, his girlfriend.
"She kind of gets upset when I
leave, but she understands that this kind of stuff is important," he said.
Green had a tough time in Sunday's
game against Central Florida PG Royal. He made a throwing error from
third base and twice struck out looking.
"I could tell I was
tired," he said. "It was hard."
The SunDevils finished Pool Play
with a 2-1-1 record and failed to make the playoffs. That meant Green was
free to go home.
"We're leaving tomorrow
morning. Early," he said.
He'll fly from West Palm Beach to
Houston, have a 60-minute layover, then fly to the airport in
Sacramento, near his home.
"I'm getting to know a lot
of airports pretty good," he said.