UMBC stayed true to its Maryland-heavy pipeline by landing lefty Zach Gutierrez Zach Gutierrez 5'11" | A/M Archbishop Spalding | 2027 MD in early December, and his stock has only climbed since. Between NHSLS and the Terp Classic, he looked like a player trending up, and I’d expect that to continue as he steps into a bigger role this spring.

With both Spalding and the Hawks this fall, Gutierrez consistently showed himself as a legitimate sweep to the middle threat. As a shooter, he brings real deception. Whether he’s on the run or sets his feet, he has a natural deceptive underhand/sidearm windup where he hides the ball behind him and releases the ball almost where it looks short arm. He can keep it on that same plane and sneak it past hands with a quick trigger, or he can pull the ball high to keep goalies guessing—as he did at NHSLS against Valor Christian. That deception also carries into his decision-making. He’s intentional about looking off shots and feeds. And while his sweep draws plenty of attention and overplay, he’s not one-dimensional—he’s comfortable pulling out of pressure and getting to a righty alley look to keep defenses honest.

UMBC stayed true to its Maryland-heavy pipeline by landing lefty Zach Gutierrez Zach Gutierrez 5'11" | A/M Archbishop Spalding | 2027 MD in early December, and his stock has only climbed since. Between NHSLS and the Terp Classic, he looked like a player trending up, and I’d expect that to continue as he steps into a bigger role this spring.

With both Spalding and the Hawks this fall, Gutierrez consistently showed himself as a legitimate sweep to the middle threat. As a shooter, he brings real deception. Whether he’s on the run or sets his feet, he has a natural deceptive underhand/sidearm windup where he hides the ball behind him and releases the ball almost where it looks short arm. He can keep it on that same plane and sneak it past hands with a quick trigger, or he can pull the ball high to keep goalies guessing—as he did at NHSLS against Valor Christian. That deception also carries into his decision-making. He’s intentional about looking off shots and feeds. And while his sweep draws plenty of attention and overplay, he’s not one-dimensional—he’s comfortable pulling out of pressure and getting to a righty alley look to keep defenses honest.