In a spring that has seen numerous strong pitching performances already, one of the more eye-opening stat lines to come across our desk is without a doubt from LHP Zach Toma (West Aurora, 2026), who put together one of the most dominant no-hitters we have seen in recent memory. For his efforts and outstanding performance, Toma has been named this week’s Pitcher of the Week. 

On Thursday, West Aurora faced off with Joliet Central and eventually came away victorious by a 9-0 margin behind Toma, who fired a seven inning no-hitter, striking out 20 along the way with no walks - taking a perfect game into the seventh where a dropped third strike ended the bid with just one out to go. On top of setting his school’s record for strikeouts in a game (20), he also set a West Aurora record for consecutive batters struck out, punching out the first 15 batters of the game. It is also worth noting that of his 90 pitches, 70 were strikes. 

The uncommitted junior is doing a bit of everything for the Blackhawks, leading the team in numerous categories on both sides of the ball. On the mound, the southpaw now boasts a 1.50 ERA with 14 innings pitched, just seven hits allowed and 34 strikeouts to only two walks. We’ve seen Toma throw it well in person, most recently at a tournament this past summer where he cruised in the low-80s with the fastball and topped out at 84 mph. On the other side of the ball, Toma is leading the team with a .625 batting average, .720 OBP, 1.250 slugging percentage, 10 hits and three home runs. 

We're thankful for the POTW submissions we received from the coaches across the state. The players who garnered POTW consideration will earn a place within tomorrow's Diamond Notes story, so be on the lookout for that.

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