Mike Mastovich: Still work to do for Conemaugh Township's Zambanini, but Texas is on veteran coach's mind

May 11—Arek Zambanini grew up in baseball dugouts. He spent much of his childhood attending games on fields throughout Somerset and Cambria counties, or under the lights at Point Stadium.

Not surprisingly, when Zambanini became a first-year head baseball coach at Lyndon B. Johnson High School in Laredo, Texas, he brought the principles and work habits instilled in him by his father, veteran Conemaugh Township Area High School baseball coach Sam Zambanini.

"I've followed in his footsteps," said Arek Zambanini of his father.

"Everything that I've been through has put me in a place where I'm at now. Growing up in the dugout at Point Stadium and at Conemaugh Township, in football locker rooms all over the place. It was a fun childhood growing up and watching all of those athletes and coaches."

In a role reversal, the elder Zambanini and his wife, Valerie, soon will have an opportunity to "follow around" Arek.

Plenty of time certainly will be spent with the grandchildren during future visits to Texas.

'Trying to win a championship'

Sam Zambanini soon will retire after 33 seasons as head baseball coach at Conemaugh Township, where he also was a standout catcher for the Indians during his playing days.

The Indians (17-2) will play Homer-Center in the Heritage Conference championship game at 7 p.m. Monday in Homer City. Conemaugh Township then closes the regular season with a Wednesday contest at rival North Star.

Sam Zambanini takes a 452-220-1 record into the conference title game.

He hopes his 14-player roster extends his career a few more weeks with potential dates in the District 5 and PIAA Class 1A playoffs.

"Nothing has really hit home yet," Sam Zambanini said. "We're in the midst of a season, and we're trying to win some championships. This is our first year in the Heritage Conference, and we're trying to win a championship there on Monday night. We're looking forward to district playoffs as well."

Sam Zambanini also will retire as a health and physical education teacher after 29 years in that role at Conemaugh Township.

He previously stepped down as football coach in 2018 after 22 seasons with a 119-108 record during two tenures.

"The memories are the guys, the players and the relationships you make with them," Sam Zambanini said. "We've had a lot of success because we've had great players. I've been fortunate to coach some good guys. We've had so many guys move on to all the levels of college baseball."

'Loved playing for Z'

His baseball teams won nine District 5 championships, including three straight from 2017-19. The Indians won seven Somerset County crowns under Zambanini, most recently in 2019. There have been five conference championships, the first in 1993 and most recently in 2019 — when Conemaugh Township collected a program and single-season record 22 wins.

"I absolutely loved playing for 'Z' at Conemaugh Township," said Ben Watkins, a 2005 graduate who pitched at Pitt-Johnstown and was drafted by the New York Yankees in 2009. "I can attest to how many times I've spoken to teammates and other players about how much I loved him as a coach and a mentor and the impact he had on me even outside of baseball."

Zambanini is among the longest-tenured scholastic baseball coaches in the area. Portage's Larry McCabe is in his 45th season, and Forest Hills' Joe Carpenter is in his 24th year.

Plenty has changed since Zambanini took over at Conemaugh Township. Pitch counts. Digital scoring and statistics. The evolution of aluminum bats. Social media's influence.

"Baseball is still the game of baseball," Sam Zambanini said.

"Not a lot of stuff has changed there."

'Volunteer coach'

Zambanini was a standout player for former Indians coach Dave Michaels. Conemaugh Township won a District 5 title in 1979 and reached the PIAA playoffs.

After graduating from high school, Zambanini played one season at Indiana (Pa.) before deciding to transfer to Allegany Community College in Maryland. Inadvertently, that's how he got into coaching.

"I started out at IUP," Sam Zambanini said. "When I transferred in the spring of 1982, I had to sit out a year so I hung out with the high school team with my old coach Dave Michaels. I was a volunteer coach. My pay was getting to step into the batting cage and take batting practice to keep fresh."

Almost a decade later, his mentor retired. Another door opened for a young coach.

"When Dave Michaels stepped down after the 1991 season, they asked me to take over," Zambanini said.

Under Zambanini, the Indians had consistent district and state playoff success. The coach recounted five times his team lost in the PIAA quarterfinals to the eventual state champion.

'Great memories'

The Indians have produced plenty of college-level players. Watkins, Rick Matsko (Cleveland Indians) and Matt Bimeal (Toronto Blue Jays) each were selected in the Major League Baseball draft and played professionally.

"My freshman and sophomore years, we had great success and had multiple district championships and state playoff runs," Watkins said. "A lot of great memories. A lot of things that I can attribute to the way Coach 'Z' held practices and the way he talked to us as people.

"I remember something very specifically about how he said it's OK to make physical mistakes," Watkins added. "Physical mistakes are going to happen, but there is no excuse for mental mistakes. That's something that stuck with me 20 years later."

Zambanini credited his assistant coaches over the past 33 seasons, especially Barry Thomas, who has been by the head coach's side for nearly the entire tenure.

He also appreciated the opportunity to coach his son Arek and work side by side with his daughter, Kayla, a former Indians athletic trainer who now is on the staff at Texas A&M International University.

Sam Zambanini also had a chance to coach two nephews — Kyle and Dan Zambanini — who played on District 5 championship teams.

"I'm retiring from teaching at the end of the year," Sam Zambanini said. "My kids and grandkids are all in Texas. Arek is coaching down there. Kayla is a trainer and associate AD at a university down there. I want to see my grandkids do things, too."

While Sam and Valarie plan to remain in Davidsville, the coach said there will be plenty of extended visits to the Lone Star State.

The baseball journey will find symmetry. At least from Arek Zambanini's perspective.

"What I look forward to most is my kids being able to spend more time with them," Arek Zambanini said. "My son is a freshman in high school. He plays jayvee baseball. It's going to be nice to have his grandfather there, and his grandfather knows a lot about baseball. Not every grandfather can do those things and that's a blessing in itself."

The generations will work together to build on a tradition that has roots in Davidsville.

"I had moments with him and I got to ride all over town and go to games with him all the time," Arek Zambanini said of his father. "To have those moments again with him and to see him have those moments with my son and daughter is going to be really special. We'll get him out of the cold weather a little bit."

Mike Mastovich is a sports reporter and columnist for The Tribune-Democrat. He can be reached at 814-532-5083. Follow him on Twitter @Masty81.