Sometimes sibling rivalries aren’t all they’re cracked up to be. Brothers Zac and Jake Kolterman last faced each other in a game during an All-Star game scrimmage about six years ago.
“They wanted to face each other really badly,” said Scott Kolterman, their father. “Once they did, I don’t think they enjoyed it as much as they thought they would.”
Since then Zac, a senior, and Jake, a sophomore, have decided it’s better to work together. Now both are terrorizing the opposition for the Hazen baseball team.
The two grew up playing baseball near their house at Laurelwood Park in Federal Way.
“We basically grew up playing baseball,” Zac said. “We have a good relationship. He’ll notice some things out there, I’ll notice others. It definitely works well.”
Jake was usually good enough to play up a team, so the two have played together on club teams for the past 12 years.
“Zac definitely coaches his brother throughout the game,” said Hazen coach Mike Brundage. “They work really well together. It’s fun to watch.”
Off the field, the two are very different. People gravitate toward Zac, who stands 6-foot-6. Jake, 6-foot-1, is pretty quiet and very funny, Scott said.
“He’s quiet, but quick to laugh until you get to know him,” he said.
Zac has been a leader for Hazen pitching and hitting this year. He led the team with three home runs, 18 RBI and a .426 batting average. He also no-hit Renton April 9 while striking out eight batters.
Jake pitched a perfect game against Foster, striking out 12 of the 15 batters he faced. He also came within an out of no-hitting Kennedy Catholic earlier in the year. He settled for a shutout with 12 strikeouts.
“It feels like it’s me and the catcher playing catch,” Jake said. “I just block out everything else and try to focus.”
During those games, Zac takes on the job of keeping Jake’s head in the right place.
“I’ll try to calm him down,” Zac said. “He gets worked up quite a bit when he’s pitching. He puts all of his emotion into it.”
Scott said Zac’s experience has been a big advantage for Jake. After dealing with elite camps and pitching for scouts, Zac has an understanding of what it takes to play at the next level. He leads Jake in workouts after practice every day.
Zac has signed a Letter of Intent to play for Lewis and Clark State College next year.
“It’s going to be terrible,” Scott said. “Jake is definitely going to miss that influence. Not just on the field, but off the field too.”
For now, they’re enjoying the time playing together. One of Scott’s favorite moments of the season was when Zac hit a walk-off home run against Kennedy Catholic April 14.
“That moment when Zac hit the walkoff,” Scott said. “Watching Jake run out onto the field to jump on his brother’s back. I get excited to see little things like that.”
The Highlanders finished the regular season 13-5 and in second place in the Seamount. The team had a turning point in the second game of the season against Lindbergh. Hazen was trailing 6-5 until Lindbergh scored 18 runs in the top of the seventh.
“It was a bit of a rocky start to the season,” Brundage said. “We made some adjustments and moved on.”
Beyond the Kolterman brothers, Hazen has a third ace in senior Jimmy Schmidt, who led the team with four wins. He walked just three batters all season (out of 124 that he faced). Schmidt also led the team in runs and steals.
Alex Gayte also threw a no-hitter, giving the Highlanders three on the season. Jake led the team in strikeouts with 43. Zac had 36. Jake’s ERA was 0.85, Zac’s was 3.88. Schmidt finished with an ERA of 1.77.
