With so little room for development and 80 total games across two halves, the best advantage for team success may be bringing talent in that have already crossed their t’s and dotted their I’s in their game.

In this sense, it creates a win-win scenario between ballclub and player, with the team focusing development on other budding talents while the player can showcase their polished game to scouts.

In the second half for the Williamsport Crosscutters, few talents have come into Williamsport with as much experience as Michael Zarrillo. With over 1,200 plate appearances across 192 division one games and 126 summer league fixtures played, The Georgia native represents an experienced and talented stalwart in the Cutters lineup.

It’s been a long, but familiar road for the peach state native, who already has experience in the keystone as a four year member of the Lafayette Leopards baseball program. Despite being a member of a fledgling Lafayette squad that would reach the Patriot League playoffs just once across his four years, Zarrillo was always a diamond in the Leopards lineup.

Michael Zarrillo of the Williamsport Crosscutters races after a pop fly during a recent game against West Virginia at Journey Bank Ballpark. DAVE KENNEDY/Sun-Gazette

Zarrillo was a mainstay in Lafayette’s lineup from his freshman year, and would compile 766 plate appearances for the Leopards, In 192 games played, The corner infielder batted .268, including a dominant .821 OPS with 24 home runs, 39 doubles, and 111 runs batted in.

Those contributions would follow themselves into the summer leagues, where Zarrillo may not have been as productive but still proved to contribute to the teams he played on.

Across three summers going into 2025, Zarrillo played for the Asheboro Zookeepers of the Coastal Plains League, before spending the next two summers in the New England Collegiate Baseball League with the Valley Blue Sox and Bristol Blues.

Blue might have, in fact, been the color for the infielder, who would finish above .500 in each of the latter two clubs, the only time Zarillo has been on a ballclub with a winning record. The w’s culminated in 2024’s summer ball campaign with the Bristol Blues, with Zarrillo helping the Bristol school into the NECBL semifinals.

All of the experiences, from the grind of a college schedule to the dog eat dog world of the summer leagues, culminated with a trip to Williamsport, where Zarillo’s experience has been irreplaceable to the second half Cutters.

Appearing towards the end of the first half season, Zarillo going into Friday night as compartmentalized a .275 average in 14 games played despite a slow start. Once getting into his groove, the Atlanta native has thrived in his role in the top half of Williamsport’s lineup.

Over the last seven days, Zarillo has batted .353, good for second among all Cutters bats in that span.

In that time, Williamsport’s first baseman had struck out just twice across the past week, the least amount for a Cutters player.

Defense has also been a valuable part of Zarrillo’s game which has continued in Billtown. Playing mostly first base with a cameo in the hot corner, the Lafayette graduate has maintained a .990 fielding percentage with 90 put outs, nine assists, and just one error. If that mark holds, it would be the best defense that Zarrillo has played for a team in his career.

Zarrillo’s Cutters will look to get back to winning ways on the road this weekend, with the Cutters closing out a monstrous 13 game in a row stretch this weekend against the State College Spikes. Billtown’s next home series will close out July, with the Cutters hosting the Mahoning Valley Scrappers on the final three days of the month.