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 Jim Zerilla
was involved in all phases of
baseball for over 30 years and attained great success at all
levels – player, coach, manager, scout, and instructor. His first taste of success was in 1961 when he was
a pitcher and first baseman for the Ambridge American Legion team that
won the Pennsylvania state championship (a team that was coached by
his father, Joe Zerilla).
Jim attended Staunton Military
Academy in Virginia, where he played basketball and baseball. He
received a baseball scholarship to Parsons College, where he pitched
and
played first base and the outfield. He capped his collegiate career
with an 8-0 pitching record and was then signed by the New York Mets
organization. After playing in the Mets farm chain for two years,
Jim returned to Parsons as an assistant coach from 1968 to 1972 and
was selected as manager at the University of Louisville. During
his seven year tenure at Louisville, he compiled a record of 179-149
and was named Coach of the Year in Kentucky in 1979. Later that same
year, Jim accepted a position as scout and manager for the
San Diego Padres. He also served as a pitching instructor with the
Padres and worked with such well known players as Tony Gwynn
and Kevin Reynolds when they were minor leaguers. He left the Padres
organization in 1983 and worked as a scout for the Chicago Cubs for
three years. In 1985 Jim began working for the Doyle Baseball School
in Florida. |
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