Coach Corbin Quote: Zach has been one of the most reliable pitching options that we have had in our program since he arrived. He has been thrown into the fire many times and has shown great consistency in performance. His maturity and compete level continue to grow. He is a tough kid who loves the arena of competition. He is a very valuable piece of our pitching staff and he will continue to be someone we rely upon. His maturity off the field has really developed as well, as seen in his interactions with the younger players.
As a Junior (2019)
- Selected in the 13th round (pick 381) of the MLB Draft by the Miami Marlins
- Allowed just one home run in 22 appearances including three starts (39.1 innings)
- Posted a 3.18 ERA across four NCAA Tournament appearances (5.2 innings)
- Permitted four extra-base hits in his final 17 appearances (23.2 innings)
- Did not permit a run in five of his final seven outings
- Fanned multiple batters in six of his last 10 outings and 13 times overall
- Held opponents to a .220 average (9-for-41) with two away
- Produced three saves including a four-inning save vs. Virginia on opening day
- Helped preserve a 1-0 win vs. Mississippi State (May 23) with a hitless frame
2018 – Posted a 1-4 record alongside a 3.46 ERA in 21 appearances and three starts… his 21 appearances were tied with Reid Schaller for the team lead… Limited opponents to a .237 average while leading all Vandy relievers with 51 strikeouts and 52.0 innings pitched… Held opponents to nine extra-base hits including just one home run while adding three saves… Did not allow an earned run in four of his final six appearances, posting a 2.28 ERA over 19.2 innings… Struck out three-or-more batters 12 times including a season-high six while limiting Kentucky to two hits in 6.1 scoreless innings on May 18… Fanned a combined 12 batters in his first three appearances… Secured his first save on March 16 at Mississippi State, tossing the final three innings while limiting the Bulldogs to two hits and striking out three… Notched his third-consecutive scoreless outing, holding LSU to three hits in four scoreless innings on March 23… Struck out four Western Kentucky batters as part of two hitless frames for his third save on April 10… Went 1-2 with a 3.00 ERA in 10 relief appearances during SEC play… Did not permit an earned run in 10 appearances, all coming in his final 17 outings… Held foes to one walk or fewer in 16 of his 21 appearances.
2017 – Gave up two runs on two hits while recording two outs in loss at Clemson 6/4 in Clemson Regional… Pitched two innings against Clemson 6/3 at Clemson Regional allowing one run on two hits with two strikeouts… Turned in 4.2 scoreless innings of relief against South Carolina 5/23 at SEC Tournament… Pinned with his first career loss at Arkansas 5/12 allowing one run on two hits over two innings of relief… Earned his second win of the season with 5.1 no-hit innings of relief against Missouri 5/7 striking out five and retiring the final 16 batters he faced… Recorded two outs in the eighth inning of win over Missouri 5/5… Struck out one in lone inning of relief vs. Austin Peay 5/2… Gave up a home run in two innings of relief at Middle Tennessee 4/18… Recorded one out in relief against Florida 4/13… Worked a scoreless inning of relief in loss to Tennessee Tech 4/11… Gave up two runs on one hit while getting one out at South Carolina 4/8… Recorded two outs to preserve lead in eighth inning at South Carolina 4/6… Inherited and stranded the bases loaded with a strikeout in win at Kentucky 4/2… Fanned a career-best five over 2.1 innings of scoreless relief against Texas A&M 3/24… Worked a scoreless inning of relief against Belmont 3/22… Recorded one out and allowed a run on one hit at Ole Miss 3/19… Turned in a clean inning of relief at Ole Miss 3/18… Worked 1.1 scoreless innings out of the pen against Western Kentucky 3/14, stranding two runners… Earned his first career win with three-plus innings of relief against Central Arkansas 3/7 allowing two unearned runs on two hits with three strikeouts… Tossed a career-best four innings out of the bullpen against CSUN 3/3 giving up one run on two hits… Retired the lone batter he faced in win over SE Louisiana 2/28… Punched out two and gave up two hits against UIC 2/25… Gave up three runs, two earned, on two hits over 1.2 innings of relief against Evansville 2/22… Made his collegiate debut at San Diego 2/19 with a scoreless inning.
High School – Named the second-best high school pitching prospect in Tennessee in 2016 by Perfect Game… Lettered three years in baseball and won three straight district tournament and sectional titles at Spring Hill HS in Spring Hill, Tenn…. Helped lead the Raiders to the 2016 Tennessee AA state title as a senior winning a Regional championship along the way, the team’s second in three years (2013)… Served as a team captain in 2016… Earned TBCA All-State and Tennessee Baseball Report All-Region as a senior… As a junior, he was named the District Pitcher of the Year along with TBCA All-State and All-Region… In 2014, he was tabbed the 12 AA Pitcher of the Year and placed on the Tennessee Baseball Report Super Sophomore team and All-Region squad… Played summer and/or high school ball with Vanderbilt teammates Alex Brewer and Ty Duvall, Hagan Severance (Mississippi State), Daniel Wright (Memphis), Jackson Curb (Belmont) and Tommy Moren (Memphis).
Academics – King is majoring in sociology.
Personal – Zachary Lee King… Born 4/30/98 in Nashville, Tenn…. Son of Lisa and Doug King… Has two sisters, Cortney and Krystin… Nickname is Kinger… Favorites include: Marcus Stroman (player), Cincinnati Reds (team), P.K. Subban (non-baseball athlete), Step Brothers, Miracle, 42, The Fighter (movies), Breaking Bad, Prison Break, Dexter (TV shows), Zach Galifianakis (actor), grilled wings and potatoes (meal), Justin Bieber and Thomas Rhett (musicians)… Lists actor Patrick Dempsey would play him in a movie… Uses friendly as the one word to describe himself… Names Traverse City, Mich. as his favorite vacation destination… Says winning the state championship as a senior in high school is his most memorable athletic moment… Chose Vanderbilt because it “has been my dream school since I was a kid and I’m excited to be here. It’s the best baseball program in the nation combined with a great academic school, couldn’t pass up this great opportunity.”