Baseball: Fox Valley All-Area captain Toma, a two-way standout, delivers big numbers on the mound, at the plate

Two weeks into the season, Zach Toma provided a pitching stat line that few high school baseball fans have witnessed.

Utilizing a fastball clocked in the mid-80s along with a tantalizing changeup, Toma struck out 20 of the 22 batters he faced while tossing a no-hitter during West Aurora’s 9-0 victory over Joliet Central.

“Zach was one batter away from a perfect game when a dropped third strike got away from the catcher,” said Blackhawks coach John Reeves. “He was able to throw his three pitches for strikes and he changed speeds so well.”

Toma, who also went 2 for 4 at the plate with an RBI double, will long remember his 20-K day.

“I know afterward some people said that Joliet Central wasn’t the best team, but I don’t care who it was, that just doesn’t happen,” said Toma.

The junior southpaw went on to post a 7-2 mound mark and 1.39 ERA, walking 13 and striking out 99 in 65 1/3 innings.

At the plate, Toma batted a team-leading .459 with 45 base hits, including 6 home runs and 10 doubles, while amassing 73 total bases, 46 RBI, and 33 runs scored, helping lead West Aurora to a 27-8 record this season.

For his efforts, the 2-way standout has been named the captain of the Daily Herald’s 2025 Fox Valley All-Area baseball team.

“He did a great job in both areas — on the mound and at the plate,” said Reeves. “He finished two RBI shy of the school record (48 set by John Roland in 1998). He had a fantastic year for us.”

Toma was at his best in big games, tossing a 4-hit complete game shutout with 8 strikeouts in the Blackhawks’ 9-1 road win over Glenbard South, while firing a 3-hit shutout with 12 strikeouts in an 11-0 distance performance against Bartlett.

Toma added his seventh complete game during the Blackhawks’ 5-3 Class 4A regional semifinal victory over Neuqua Valley.

“He had a nice day,” said Reeves. “His clutch hit into the right-center gap gave us a late two-run lead.”

Prior to the season, the 6-foot-2, 195-pounder didn’t expect to put up numbers quite as impressive as the ones he posted.

“I’ve never had a season like this,” said Toma. “To be honest, I impressed myself with the 99 strikeouts.”

Armed with a 3-pitch arsenal, the left-hander has perfected a lethal changeup over the last couple seasons.

“I always had a good one but it got even better my sophomore year when our pitching coach, Preston Larrison, showed me a new grip,” said Toma.

When handed the ball on the mound, he expects to finish what he starts.

“I set a standard for myself where I want to pitch a complete game every time out,” said Toma. “I definitely had better command and control this season — fewer walks, and my fastball velocity was up.”

Batting out of the 3-hole, Toma provided plenty of punch while instilling fear in opponents.

“He walked 31 times this season,” said Reeves. “Early in the season, I told him that nobody wants to pitch to you. You might get one good pitch per at-bat because they’re going to let someone else beat you.

“He became a more polished hitter this season. I think he hit .250-ish as a sophomore, but he matured.”

Reeves remembers calling up Toma to the varsity late as a freshman.

“We told him to dress for a game against DeKalb at NIU,” said the coach. “It was one of our last games of the regular season. Our right fielder suffered an injury during the game, so we put Zach out in right. He made a couple nice plays.

“He wound up starting for us in the regional semifinals and looked good. The rest is history.”

Toma made a natural progression on the mound.

“During his sophomore year, he had a rough start against Waubonsie Valley in early April,” said Reeves. “The following week after that, he shut out DeKalb. In our second-to-last series, he pitched a 1-hitter against Plainfield North, and he didn’t pitch poorly in his last start of the regular season against a solid Minooka team. Then, he threw a fantastic game in last year’s regional championship against Neuqua Valley (2-1 loss).”

This season, Toma pitched to a new catcher in sophomore Oscar Alexander, Jr.

“Oscar was in one of my classes this year, so we talked baseball all during the football season and winter,” said Toma.

“Zach and Oscar worked well together,” said Reeves.

Playing football last fall also worked to Toma’s advantage.

“I do think it helped — the lifting/physical part,” said Toma. “Coach (Nate) Eimer has always been a huge supporter.”

“Mason (starting quarterback/centerfielder) Atkins and Zach are best friends,” said Reeves. “Zach got so much stronger. He got guilt tripped into playing football — you don’t want to miss out on all the fun.

“Now, he loves it.”

Toma, whose older brother Nathan played at West Aurora, enjoyed helping the Blackhawks improve from 12 to 27 wins, while contending for the Upstate Eight West Conference title this spring.

“It was a very, very fun season,” he said. “We’re all good friends and we bonded well. Everybody wanted to win.”

This summer, Toma will play for former Blackhawks standout Kris Jenkins’ Top Tier West travel squad, looking for additional recognition from collegiate scouts.

“Coach Jenkins excels at getting guys to college,” said Toma. “I’m playing in a tournament in Alabama this weekend.

“Being a two-way player in college — that’s my dream.”