Zack Lee Named Collegiate Baseball National Player of the Week

Kentucky senior Zack Lee has been honored by Collegiate Baseball as one of its national players of the week after he throttled a powerful South Carolina lineup on Sunday.

Lee, a right-hander from Effingham, Illinois, turned in a career effort in a 9-2 victory that sealed Kentucky’s sweep of No. 3 South Carolina. The Gamecocks were able to only manage a two-run home run off Lee, as he set career bests with 12 strikeouts and 105 pitches in 6.2 innings before leaving to a standing ovation at Kentucky Proud Park.

Lee joined big leaguers Sean Hjelle and Zack Thompson, as well as Mason Hazelwood as the only Wildcats to have a dozen or more strikeouts in a game during Nick Mingione’s seven seasons as head coach. He did not walk a batter while spraying seven hits around.

Highlights from Lee’s outing:

• He struck out 12, a new career high.
• The 12 strikeouts tie Mason Hazelwood for the third-most in a single-game in the Coach Mingione era, one off Zack Thompson and Sean Hjelle’s high of 13.
• He set a career high with 105 pitches.
• The only blemish was a two-run HR.
• Dominated a lineup with more than 100 HR on the season.
• Finished off UK’s first sweep of Top 5 team in 11 years.
• Last two starts (both vs. Top 5 teams): 11.2 IP, 11 H, 3 R, 2 BB, 15 K