Two reasons Collegiate School may contend for state baseball supremacy are Zach Jung and Zach Jung.

That would be Zach Jung the power pitcher and Zach Jung the slugging corner infielder.

One in the same, the 6-4, 195-pound senior ranks with the private sector's most feared performers, both on the mound and in the batter's box.

"Eventually, Zach will probably be a full-time pitcher in college, but he's definitely a great hitter for us," Cougars coach Tom Nuckols said.

The Cougars and 12-3-1, and Jung is 4-1 (with a 1-0 loss to Christchurch) with a 1.90 earned-run average. He has 46 strikeouts in 331/3 innings.

Offensively, he is hitting .490 (24 for 49) with four homers and 18 RBI in the No. 3 slot.

First things first: Jung (name of German origins) is pronounced Young.

"Every time I tell someone my name, I spell it out," he said with a laugh.

It's a familiar name at Collegiate. Younger brother Brooks, a junior, also plays on the varsity.

The brothers are what Collegiate calls "lifers," meaning they started school there in kindergarten.

Future Spider: Jung nipped the recruiting drama in the bud when he signed with the University of Richmond in November. He passed up offers to visit Michigan and Tennessee.

Jung's stock spiked last summer following a stellar effort at the Area Code Games in Long Beach, Calif.

"A lot of it had to do with [UR] Coach [Mark] McQueen," Jung said. "He's got a great reputation for working with pitchers."

Veteran Cougar: Jung and shortstop Casey Watkins stuck with the Collegiate varsity as eighth-graders. This is Jung's fifth year as a starter.

He made all-Prep League the past two years and all-Virginia Independent last year, when he was 6-0 with a 1.84 ERA.

"Zach had an amazing junior year - with 34 RBI," Nuckols said. "Every time Russell [Wilson, now at North Carolina State] got on, Zach knocked him in."

Three pitches: Jung relies on a change-up, curve and heater that was clocked at 90 mph in Long Beach.

"Really, the change is his best strikeout pitch," Nuckols said.

The past two winters, Jung put in extra work with Nuckols at the coach's Learn2Play facility in Chesterfield. Nuckols sees a lot of himself in Jung. Nuckols shined as a hitter/pitcher at Clover Hill before becoming a pitcher at VCU.

Collegiate foes get no relief. The other starting pitcher, Dillon Koonce, is 6-2 with a 2.80 ERA. Koonce relies more on placement and change of speeds.

Looking ahead: The Prep League could be decided the final week of the regular season when the Cougars face St. Christopher's May 6 and May 9. Then comes the VIS tournament with the semifinals and final at Shepherd Stadium.

This summer, Jung will again play for Lakeside Post 125, joining many Douglas Freeman players. Jung grew up in the Freeman district and starred in the Tuckahoe Little League.

As a 12-year-old, he hurled a perfect game for the TLL Nationals vs. Mechanicsville in the District 5 tournament.