Following a vastly successful stint at Lanier High School in Sugar Hill, Georgia — where he ranked as one of the top right-handed pitchers in the entire state — the 2020 grad committed to one of the best baseball programs in the country in LSU. But before he could see the mound for the Tigers, he’d tear his labrum in May of 2020.

He’d try to recover naturally through rehabilitation over the summer, following the advice that the program gave him. The injury, however, proved too impactful to avoid surgery. He’d opt to get that done in November, a few months before the start of the spring season.

“It’s like a six to 10 month recovery, but I was back throwing off the mound in late February because I was just persistent and in the PT (physical therapy) room every single day,” said Murray.

He’d make his LSU debut in April, seeing two relief appearances before the end of the season. Then, he’d elect to leave the program, citing mishandling and a lack of a medical redshirt as his reasons for the move. He’d take his talents closer to home, transferring to the GCAA’s Georgia Highlands College.

Starting pitcher Zachary Murray of the Crosscutters pitches in the first inning against Mahoning Valley at Bowman Field. DAVE KENNEDY/Sun-Gazette

Dealing with one of the more debilitating injuries in all of baseball, he still didn’t feel like himself. He’d remain with the program for one season, posting a 4.40 ERA in 17 appearances, before moving on to Division 2 Young Harris College.

“My first two years of college ball, I just don’t think I was myself,” said Murray. “Labrum surgery is really big for velo. A lot of people don’t get their velo back and I was more than blessed to just get mine back.”

There, he’d start to get his mojo back, starting 14 games as a junior, where he posted an ERA of 4.48 and went 5-5, before kicking things into high gear as a senior.

In 2024, he’d lead the Mountain Lions in innings pitched, getting his ERA down to a 3.21 and accumulating a W-L record of 9-2. He played a massive role in what proved to be a historic season for the program, where it hit 41 wins and almost advanced to the Super Regionals.

“In the last two years, I’ve really leveled up my game. My junior year wasn’t the full Zachary Murray I wanted to be but my senior year, I accomplished everything I could hope to and more,” said Murray. “I think this year I had going into summer ball and the draft, and all this stuff was the perfect thing for me and really loading me up as a player and man.”

Starting pitcher Zachary Murray of the Crosscutters sits on the bench between innings against Mahoning Valley at Bowman Field. DAVE KENNEDY/Sun-Gazette

He credited that senior season to a change in mindset, choosing to focus on the positives while not beating himself up over the negatives.

“If I didn’t throw well, I’d have a miserable week. So, this year, I really tried to change it. Baseball isn’t everything. I’m a brother. I’m a son. I’m a grandson and a friend. Once you take that pressure off, I think it’s a lot. I can just play free and have fun,” said Murray.

“My brothers were behind me, and I thrived. It was really the best thing for me, not taking the game as serious as I was my junior year.”

Taking the mound at Bowman

After making a strong first impression on the coaching staff Sunday and over the ensuing days, Murray was named the starter for opening day against Mahoning Valley. With nerves in the form of excitement, he’d make the most of it.

Starting pitcher Zachary Murray of the Crosscutters pumps shoulders with catcher Cole Russo at the end of an inning against Mahoning Valley at Bowman Field. DAVE KENNEDY/Sun-Gazette

He’d kick things off with back-to-back strikeouts, going 1-2-3 on his first inning at Bowman Field. Against his first batter, he’d log a 95-mph sinker coupled with three sliders, a 95-mph four-seam fastball and an 84-mph curveball to strike the batter out.

“When you’re warming up and you feel you have all four of your pitches, you feel like you’re going to have a day,” said Murray. “And I feel like I had one of those days.”

That proficiency continued through six full innings of action, as he consistently utilized his fastballs, sinkers, curve balls and sliders while routinely hitting that peak velocity around 95 mph on the former two. Though limited pitch counts had been discussed for the early goings of the first half, Murray hit 90 pitches before being relieved.

“We still kept him within a reasonable ballpark. He didn’t get too far above where I wanted him to. He wanted it, he was full of adrenaline and was feeling great,” said Crosscutters manager Ryan Hanigan on Murray. “He wanted that sixth and Riley (Nelson) made a big double play for us to keep that pitch count down.”

‘It’s a beautiful thing. To get out with a quality start like that for six innings, it’s all I could ask for,” he added.

He’d log three more retired sides and never surrendered a run, posting a three-hit shutout.

Even after giving up a hit in the third and two in the third, he either responded with a strikeout, like in the second, or his fielders had his back, like in the third. He was quick to credit his teammates when discussing the shutout while still gaining confidence from putting forth an incredible effort.

“Defense, defense, defense, man. I was fired up,” said Murray while discussing Nelson’s double play at first. “This is a great group of guys. Obviously, I’ve known these guys for 2-3 days, but it feels like (the chemistry is there) to me. It’s been awesome.”

He sees this performance as another steppingstone, just like his last season at Young Harris. With the performance, he looks forward to what’s next.

“I think it’s going to really boost my confidence for the rest of the summer, hopefully going into the next start. It’s always going to be one start at a time,” said Murray. “It was just exactly what I was doing for the most last year. It was just a great steppingstone for the start of the summer and I’m excited to see where it goes.”