zac leigh

It’s only been five years since Zac Leigh last walked the halls as a Victoria East High School student, but in the short time after that, he’s accomplished a lifetime of achievements. His most recent, you might ask? Oh, just getting drafted by the Chicago Cubs in the 2021 MLB Draft. I was able to catch up with him about his time in high school and VISD.

Leigh is a 2016 Victoria East HS graduate. He attended both Howell Middle School and the former Crain Middle School, and Vickers and DeLeon elementary schools.

Playing both baseball and football throughout high school, Leigh found himself to be extremely busy most of the time. He credits both East HS staff, as well as VISD as a whole, for creating and influencing discipline within its teachers, faculty, and students. This helped him juggle his athletics on top of school and never wavering in either.

Though some of his best memories came on the baseball field, Leigh was sure to credit his teachers for his growth throughout the years. His favorite teachers were Mr. Caldwell, aquatic and forensic science teacher, and Mr. Rayos, calculus teacher. “They made high school such a great environment for me,” Leigh said, “Those two teachers really helped me grow as a person and student.”

On the pitch, however, is where Leigh’s all-time favorite high school memory came to fruition. He was just a sophomore when he found himself pitching in the 2014 4A State Championship game against Aledo High School at the Dell Diamond in Round Rock. The Titans, unfortunately, lost the game, becoming the state runner-up, but Leigh noted that was an experience he’ll never forget.

Maybe it was because of the multiple playoff runs together, or because of how hard he pushed him to be his best, but the person who left the biggest impact on Leigh was none other than his and East HS’ current baseball coach, Wes Kolle. “He taught me how to become a better baseball player, but more importantly how to become a better man,” Leigh said of Kolle.

Kolle had his own kind words to say about Leigh. “We knew what type of ballplayer Zac Leigh was well before he even stepped foot on campus, but what really stood out was his fierce competitiveness and his desire to be the best,” Kolle said. Whether it was in practice, an intra-squad scrimmage, a district ballgame, or pitching in the State Championship, Zac was dialed in, a flat-out competitor, and breathed this competitiveness into his teammates. We are extremely proud of Zac.”

All of the people met, experiences had, and lessons learned during his time at VISD helped Leigh get to Texas State University, where he was fortunate to continue both his baseball career and education from 2017-21. He earned his Bachelor of Exercise and Sports Science in Health and Fitness Management in Spring 2021 while finishing what could have been his final baseball season.

Fast forward a couple of months to a Tuesday afternoon in July, when Leigh gets the call he’s worked for since he was five years old. On July 13th, the Chicago Cubs selected Zac Leigh with the overall 484th pick in the 16th round of the 2021 MLB Draft.

I can only imagine that mixed in with all the emotion and excitement, there were hints of reflection and remembrance to those who shaped him along the way. Leigh expressed such gratitude for those within VISD who helped mold him into the man he is today as he gets ready to embark on this next phase of his life. 

Leigh left a final note for current VISD students, “Whatever your dream or passion is, you have to work hard every day. Failure is always going to be a part of life, but you have to stick with the process and be able to trust that you’ll get there.” 

Talk to us! We want to share about VISD alumni and what you’ve been up to since high school. If you are a VISD alumni or know an alumni, message us at visdcommunications@visd.net with your contact information, and we’ll reach out to gather information from you. 

  Sienna Rodriguez is the communications specialist at Victoria ISD.