Coach Van Zandt was a four-year varsity starter for Interlake High School (1995-1998), earning First Team All-Kingco in each of his final three years. After his high school career, he went on to Stanford University, where he finished his four-year career with a .292 batting average, 16 home runs, 82 RBI, and 21 stolen bases over 162 games. He had a career .992 fielding percentage while playing shortstop, third base, and first base. Coach Van Zandt participated in the College World Series three straight years and played collegiate summer baseball in the Alaska Baseball League and the Cape Cod League. His coaching career has spanned over 22 years, from Little League and select baseball through high school.