Jack Zigan looks back on transition to Willmar, hopes to help future Stingers through theirs

Willmar, MN- At the age of 24, right handed pitcher Jack Zigan will look to fill a role he has seen many teammates fill before him: the veteran leader.

Now entering his fifth summer in Willmar, Zigan has been with the team through some of its best seasons in franchise history including its most recent playoff appearance last summer.

During those five summers, Zigan has made a total of 30 appearances in a Stingers uniform but it wasn’t his first destination in the Northwoods League.

In the summer of 2018, a 19-year old Zigan made five appearances with the Mankato MoonDogs, a team that would go on to lose to the Stingers in that season’s quarterfinals.

After that summer ended, Zigan was looking for a new place to play and it was the advice of a longtime teammate that would bring him to Willmar.

“I had a good buddy from high school and we also played together in Mankato, his name is Trevor Divinski,” Zigan said. “He played in Willmar the summer prior and he suggested Willmar, to go out there with him and promised the best out of it.”

Like Zigan, Divinski also played his college ball at Minnesota State and while Zigan was in Mankato, he had spent the summer of 2018 on a Stingers team that would win the North Division title.

The duo would spend the next two summers in Willmar with the older Divinski helping Zigan navigate life in Willmar.

“With everything being new for me and not new for him, he [Divinski] showed me the ropes,” Zigan said. “Everything about Willmar, where to eat, where not to go and just how to be a respectful summer baseball player and having fun at the same time.”

Spending a summer in a new city for the first time can present its challenges and for Zigan, that first summer in 2019 was the first time he had been with a host family.

While that can be a difficult situation for some people to adjust to, Zigan has been with the same host family throughout his first four summers and credits them as a reason for why he keeps coming back to Willmar.

“I really love my host family, they have become a second family for me these past couple years,” Zigan said. “We’re closer than ever now, we share holidays and we keep in touch all the time and I really love those guys, I know I’m going into great hands every summer.”

Off the field, Zigan has continued to build relationships in Willmar and on the field, he is looking to help the Stingers improve on a 48-20 season which saw them make a deep run in the Northwoods League Playoffs.

In a league that can feel like a major league grind at certain points, Zigan said that was felt with the Stingers every game.

“For us last summer, we approached every game like it was a regional game in college,” Zigan said. “We showed up to the field each game confident and we believed in each other and I’d say the biggest part that helped us the most was that it was a good group of guys that from week one it seemed like we had already played with each other for an entire season.”

Now turning the page to a new summer, just as Zigan looked up to Divinski for help with adjusting to Willmar, the soon-to-be five-year veteran hopes he can have the same impact on the young guys ready to start their own legacy with the Stingers.

“It’s a big honor and big shoes to fill because there’s a lot of great players that passed through Willmar and great people,” Zigan said. “The oldest guy has always been the most likable and respectable guy, a dude that guys look up to and that’s who I tried to be last year and hope to be this year.”

If you would like more information on tickets for the 2023 season, or more information regarding this story, please contact the Willmar Stingers front office by calling 320-222-2010. For more coverage of the Stingers, visit the West Central Tribune online at www.wctrib.com.

The 2023 season is presented by J.D. Kreps Financial Group, empowering investors with powerful financial advice.

Logan Bourandas is a senior majoring in broadcast journalism. To contact him, email lxb5412@psu.edu.

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The Willmar Stingers is a member of the finest developmental league for elite college baseball players, the Northwoods League. The Northwoods League is the proven leader in the development of elite college baseball players. Now in its’ 30^th season, the Northwoods League is the largest organized baseball league in the world with 22 teams, drawing significantly more fans, in a friendly ballpark experience, than any league of its kind. A valuable training ground for coaches, umpires, and front office staff, 300 Northwoods League players have advanced to Major League Baseball, including three-time All-Star and 2016 Roberto Clemente Award winner Curtis Granderson, three-time Cy Young Award winner and World Series Champion Max Scherzer (NYM), two-time World Series Champions Ben Zobrist and Brandon Crawford (SFG) and World Series Champion Chris Sale (BOS). As well as 2019 Rookie of the Year and 2019/2021 Home Run Derby Champion Pete Alonso (NYM) and 2021 All-Star, MLB Gold Glove winner and 2019 Second Team All-MLB shortstop Marcus Semien (TEX). All league games are viewable live via the Northwoods League website. League games are viewable live at watchnwl.com and on ESPN+. For more information, visit www.willmarstingers.com or download the new Northwoods League Mobile App on the Apple App Store or on Google Play and set the Stingers as your favorite team.