PENPRASE Zack

General
CLUB CAREER
He was drafted by the Philadelphia Phillies in the 13th round of the 2006 MLB Draft out of Mississippi Valley State University, and played for several of the Phillies' A-rated minor league teams before being released and signed by the Boston Red Sox in 2008. He played for Boston's minor league affiliate team Greenville Drive before being released the same year. He then spent the next eight years playing for the independent league Fargo-Moorhead RedHawks, as well as a short stint in the Australian Baseball League for the Sydney Blue Sox, before retiring from professional baseball. "I was lucky enough to play in Fargo and Doug [Simunic] gave me the opportunity to play for eight years. Doug let me play the way I wanted to play. I felt I was blessed with that opportunity. I had a good time, but I just had a feeling it was just time to move on and step away from the [professional] game and see what life has to bring me next." (inforum.com, 12 Feb 2016; milb.com, 28 Aug 2008; baseball.org.il, 01 Aug 2019)

REPRESENTING ISRAEL
After retiring from professional baseball in 2016 he wasn't sure what to do next, before receiving the opportunity to play for Israel. "I grew up in a Jewish-Christian household, and always felt more connected to my Jewish heritage. Getting Israeli citizenship was such a special moment and playing for my country, something that is so much bigger than me, was truly amazing. I can't put into words what playing in the Olympics for Israel would be like. To be an Olympian is something I never actually even dreamed of before. I am so thankful to be involved in this journey." (jpost.com, 07 Jul 2019)