PHOENIX — When Beckett Zavorek first set foot in the Milwaukee suburb of Mequon in June of 2025, the freshman looked at a baseball league notorious for its 72 games in 75 days as a chance to improve his playstyle.    

The Northwoods League, a collegiate summer league known for simulating the gauntlet of professional baseball, challenged Zavorek to perform at a high level day in and day out. Yet, he never lacked energy or effort on the field.

“(It was) more so just an opportunity to go out there and be able to showcase what I could do every day,” Zavorek said in an interview on Feb. 22. “Just going out playing baseball is my dream, so I have fun with it every day.”

The Fresno, California, native flew across the nation to the upper Midwest, landing late on a June Saturday night, prepared to join the Lakeshore Chinooks of the Northwoods League. 

Around 10:30 that evening, Chinooks manager Mikel Moreno texted Zavorek to see if he could play the following afternoon. 

Instead of acclimating to the nearly 2,100-mile journey, Zavorek responded, saying absolutely and “Sounds like a Nooks’ win.”  

Twelve hours later, Zavorek made his debut at shortstop, hitting third and not disappointing.

He finished 2-for-4 with a pair of stolen bases. 

Yet before becoming a key utility player on Arizona State University’s 2026 baseball team, the sophomore appeared in just 13 games the season prior, prompting a move to the Chinooks to further develop under a former Sun Devils teammate of head coach Willie Bloomquist. 

In 28 games on the shores of Lake Michigan, Zavorek played almost every day, hitting .360 and developing into the versatile, intelligent ballplayer Bloomquist called him today. 

Moreno, who played at ASU from 1995-98 and alongside Bloomquist on the 1998 College World Series runner-up, knew he was getting a coachable guy who plays the game the right way. 

“He is a player the others gravitate towards because he has a strong belief in his ability,” Moreno said. “Confident people inspire confidence in others.  … It’s not a loud-in-your-face type of confidence. It is a strong belief that is unshakable.”   

Trusting his ability gave Zavorek the confidence to succeed, something Chinooks assistant coach Peyton Holyoak said he noticed in his infielder’s raw talent and leadership on the field. 

“Beck (Zavorek) was immediately a guy that other teammates wanted to be around,” Holyoak said. “He’s a leader because he understands that he has the ability to be. That’s hard for some of these kids to understand who have this great ability.” 

Surrounded by a group that desired to develop as ballplayers, Zavorek said it was easy to be a good teammate on the Chinooks. 

“We’d sharpen each other up,” Zavorek said. “Just playing with guys that are also like-minded and have like-minded goals for you. You always seem to rub off on each other.”

Over his six-week stay with Lakeshore, Zavorek said he formed close relationships with many of his contemporaries, none closer than with David Hogg II. 

Like Zavorek, Hogg II didn’t see the field much as a freshman at Louisiana State University, appearing in 12 games. Though they came from completely different backgrounds, one a California kid, the other from Texas, the duo became quite close while living together with a host family. 

From late-night fires to boating on Lake Michigan, Zavorek said he and Hogg II bonded over those off-the-field moments. 

Sometimes baseball wasn’t the priority, Zavorek said, as players are humans too and need time to relax.

“Go out there, have fun and it's not all about baseball,” Zavorek said. “You still want to have a good time and experience things.”

Although Zavorek developed camaraderie with his peers, Holyoak said the Sun Devils’ relationship with Moreno surprised him the most.

“I knew Beck (Zavorek) was a guy I wanted in my dugout,” Holyoak said. “He was cracking jokes, rallying behind guys he didn’t know yet, and most importantly, he got along with Coach Moreno. I know from experience that’s not the easiest thing to do.” 

As a major in the United States Army Reserves, Zavorek said Moreno’s hard-nose coaching style didn’t bother him as his father, Andy Zavorek, and Bloomquist coach in a similar way.  

Expecting the best out of his players, Zavorek said Moreno’s best advice was to seize every opportunity, because you’ll never know what comes next. 

“He taught me just never take a pitch off,” Zavorek said. “Going out there every day after long road trips and long nights on the road, showing up early in the morning for a game after your seventh game of the week. Sometimes it does get tough. He really just harped on me just to not take a pitch off.” 

Still, Zavorek said the summer taught him every day was a new day with bigger opportunities, and he couldn’t let a poor performance linger. 

“If you have a bad day one day, move on to the next day, because if you bring that over the next day, it's just gonna affect the way you play,” Zavorek said.

While on the field, Zavorek led the Chinooks with 28 stolen bases, never shying away from taking the extra 90 feet. 

“Beck (Zavorek) can definitely change the outlook of an inning and a game just by finding a way on base and making things happen,” Holyoak said. 

He made things happen by being a go-getter.

“I'm just trying to go out there and do whatever I can to help my team win, set my guys up for good at-bats and help people drive myself in,” Zavorek said. 

However, Holyoak said his speedster’s ability took time to develop over the summer, as not all fast runners are good base stealers.

“Gifted runners aren’t always gifted baserunners, so becoming valuable there is huge,” Holyoak said.

Zavorek said he never feared making an aggressive mistake on the bases, something Bloomquist later said is worth the risk. 

Yet, unlike with ASU, where consequences could follow from poor play or a passive mental mistake, Zavorek knew he’d be back in the lineup the next day regardless of performance.

“It's definitely a luxury that you got to earn, for sure,” Zavorek said. “Out here (at ASU), once you come out and start playing in the spring, it's not something that's just given to you, it's all earned. I'm just working every day to earn that luxury.” 

Working toward a guaranteed role on the field with the Sun Devils in 2026, Zavorek’s playstyle didn’t change much over the summer, he said. Only reinforcing his confidence. 

“I'm still the same guy trying to show up to the field every day with the same mindset and just do whatever I can,” Zavorek said. 

But for a player who says his dream is to play at the next level, one thing is certain. The Northwoods League is unlike anything he’d experienced. 

“You got to want to show up every day and play baseball,” Zavorek said. “It's a grind. Everyone knows it's a grind, and you can't really describe how much of a grind it is until you actually do it.”