Major kudos to Lee Zerrusen on his performance in the first half of the season in the Coastal Plain League. Pitching for the Fayetteville Swampdogs, Lee has a miniscule 0.98 ERA in 13 appearances with 7 saves. He has 21 strikeouts in 18 1/3 innings.
To those watching during the 2009 Illini season, it seemed apparent that Lee was being groomed for a bigger role in the next year. With Big Z getting good work in like this in summer league action, it will only help to boost his confidence.
I’ve seen it happen with other players like Joe Bonadonna two years ago. Joe had a phenomenal summer in the Northwoods League playing second base and winning all kinds of awards. The next year in 2008 (as a junior), his success carried over into the Illinois season when he hit .356 and stole 26 bases.
So keep up the good work Lee (and the rest of the Illini!). Have fun playing this game!