The sign on the field at Amherst Regional High School is a tangible tribute to the man known in town as “Mr. Baseball” – Stan Ziomek Diamond.
But the most important legacy of Stanley Peter Ziomek, who died at 92 on July 6, is carried on by the scores of people across multiple generations whose lives he touched through the game he loved. Those encounters on baseball fields became lessons of life about respect, equality, striving to do your best, dignified conduct, winning with humility, losing gracefully.
As Ziomek presided over all things baseball in Amherst for six-plus decades, he served as a role model and mentor in the way he encouraged, supported and counseled everyone connected with the sport: players, coaches, umpires, fans. Ziomek seemingly was everywhere a game was played, whether it was young children learning the basics at tee ball, or watching the high school team from his lawn chair behind the backstop.
Among the many who count Ziomek as an influential figure is Greg Vouros, 35, who has coached the Amherst Regional team since 2009. His memories of Ziomek extend back to age 7 or 8 when Vouros was a tee ball player, and as he progressed through youth leagues and into high school, his admiration for the man grew.
“I learned about how to respect the game of baseball at a young age,” says Vouros. “I learned a lot about how to treat people,” recalling that Ziomek “would treat everyone equally” and “star players would get the exact same treatment – there was never any favoritism.”
Ziomek expected even the youngest players to do things the right way – tucking in their uniform shirts, running on and off the field.
And he “taught how to deal with failure at a young age,” Vouros says. “He did not tolerate being lazy, throwing equipment or disrespecting coaches.”
As a coach, Vouros tries to emulate Ziomek. “I truly believe in everything he taught me and I try to instill that in my players,” Vouros says. “It’s an honor to carry on his legacy.”
Ziomek’s resume of public service extends well beyond baseball. A lifelong resident of Amherst, Ziomek was a U.S. Marine Corps veteran of World War II, and he then was employed by the town for some four decades before his retirement in 1992. Ziomek worked as supervisor of recreation and park maintenance, superintendent of highways and superintendent of public works and tree warden.
He served as assistant and acting town manger and was a longtime Amherst Town Meeting participant, where he was an influential advocate for recreation programs including establishing Groff Park in South Amherst, Mill River Recreation Area in North Amherst and War Memorial Pool at Community Field, as well as acquiring the land for the Plum Brook soccer fields.
Among the groups that benefited from Ziomek’s volunteerism was the Rotary Club of Amherst, where he was sergeant-at-arms for many years and active in fundraising, including the annual community fair.
But beyond his family, Ziomek was most passionate about baseball and his accomplishments, while centered in Amherst, were recognized regionally and nationally.
He was among the organizers of the Amherst American Legion baseball program in 1948, Amherst Little League in 1952, and Amherst Babe Ruth league in 1953. He then served as president of the Amherst Baseball League until 2012. At Ziomek’s insistence, Amherst was the first community in western Massachusetts to make its leagues coed in the 1950s.
At various times Ziomek was director of the state, New England and national Babe Ruth leagues. He was inducted into the Babe Ruth League Hall of Fame in 2011. Last year, he was named to the Western Massachusetts Baseball Hall of Fame.
“It’s an honor, but you don’t need awards to do good things for kids,” Ziomek said at the time. “My focus was that the kids were active and doing things the right way. I always did what I felt was the right thing for them, and a lot learned the game because of the work of the people in Amherst baseball.”
More recently, in one of his last interviews, Ziomek said he wanted to be remembered as a “hard-working Amherst townie who had the town’s best interests in mind.”
Mission accomplished.