LIMA, Ohio (WLIO) — Bath's Zach Welsch is the definition of a triple-threat athlete. From football to basketball to baseball, the Wildcat senior excels in it all—and he continues to make strides in the classroom.

Coach Frank Russell said Welsch embodies the program's core values.

"He just really embodies our core values of our program, you know of hard work, dedication, service, gratitude, and love. He embodies that and he really, he's bought into what we, as a coaching staff, we try to get our players to do. And he leads by example. He's easy to follow because he's the hardest worker player on the team."

A team player on the gridiron, the basketball court and the baseball diamond, Bath senior Zach Welsch knows how to compete.

"I would just say I just grew up into it. My dad got me into it at a young age, and I just loved all of them since then. It's been a big impact on my life, just keeping me going and just my competitiveness and just like willing to want to get better and help my teammates and make them better too," Welsch said.

Russell added, "Well, he's just such a positive role model for our kids to see and to be around that, you know, he has done all of the right things and he continues to do all the right things and he's experiencing so much success."

Welsch shines both on the field and in the classroom. The Wildcat senior makes his academics a top priority, even alongside his athletic success.

Teacher Kasey Krendl said, "Best quality about Zach is his maturity as a student. I think he is very humble and very mature as a high school athlete, which is really rare in a lot of kids to have that maturity level. And I think the biggest thing is it's hard for kids to be three-sport athletes and juggle academics with the athletics, and the level that he can do that I think is really admirable."

After high school, Welsch has hopes of continuing his football career at the next level, and he plans to major in business to become a financial advisor.

"That's what my dad was and then I would say you could do different things every single day. You get to talk to new people and meet new people every single day," Welsch said.

Welsch is grateful for the chance to represent Bath, but even more, he's thankful for the community that's supported him year after year.

"It's an honor to be able to go here. We have a great community. They come to every single sporting event. The fans are always there and just them supporting us would probably be the best memory," he said.

Congratulations to Zach Welsch — our newest McDonald's Scholar Athlete of the Week.

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