After One Of The Best Seasons In Charlotte Baseball History, Blake Gillespie Named All-American
Charlotte Baseball’s Blake Gillespie was named a Third Team All-American by Perfect Game and a Second Team Atlantic All-Region selection by the ABCA/Rawlings on Tuesday (June 10).
With the Perfect Game citation, Gillespie becomes the 13th All-American in Charlotte Baseball history and the second selected by Perfect Game, joining the Niners’ most recent All-American in Cam Fisher. Gillespie’s Atlantic All-Region selection makes him the 16th All-Region selection in program history but just the fourth pitcher to earn the honor.
“Blake Gillespie’s All-America honor is a reflection of what happens when talent meets discipline and a deep commitment to improvement,” head coach Robert Woodard said. “He delivered one of the best single seasons in Charlotte Baseball history, a year defined by elite consistency, production, and clutch performances. Blake has set a standard for how we prepare, how we compete, and how we represent this program. His focus and impact, both on and off the field, have earned him this recognition. We’re proud to see his hard work celebrated on the national stage.
The 2025 American Athletic Conference Pitcher of the Year and Newcomer Pitcher of the Year, Gillespie turned in one of the best seasons the American Athletic Conference has seen on the mound. He posted a 2.42 ERA with 131 strikeouts in 100.1 innings pitched this year, tied for the third-most strikeouts any pitcher in conference history has had and the third-most in the country this year heading into the start of NCAA Regionals. Just in conference games, Gillespie finished with a 1.39 ERA, 84 strikeouts, 64.2 innings pitched, and a .176 opponent batting average to lead the conference in both categories while posting the lowest ERA in AAC play in the last nine years.
Gillespie’s 131 strikeouts are the fourth-most in a single season in program history and the most since unanimous First Team All-American Adam Mills fanned 141 in 2007. His 11.75 K/9 rate is the fifth-best in a single season while his opponent batting average of .193 ranks fourth. Only issuing 19 walks this year, Gillespie held a 1.70 K/BB ratio for the ninth-best in a single season in program history. Gillespie had three complete games this season to become the 36th arm in program history to go the distance three times in the same season but just the seventh this century and the first since Corey Roberts in 2011, while his two complete game shutouts put him tied for the third-most in a single season in program history.
A unanimous First Team All-Conference selection, Gillespie tossed the second no-hitter in program history this season with 11 strikeouts and only one walk issued against James Madison on March 7 in his first Friday start of the season. Gillespie fanned more batters than that twice, collecting a pair of 13-strikeout games, including punching out 13 batters in the American Athletic Conference Championships against Wichita State to tie the conference record for most strikeouts by a single pitcher in a tournament game. His 13-K game in Clearwater propelled him from sixth to fourth place on Charlotte’s single-season strikeout list and made him the single-season strikeout leader for Canadians in American collegiate baseball.
Gillespie is the fourth pitcher to earn All-America honors in program history and the first hurler since Andrew Smith in 2011 to do so. He’s the Niners’ first All-American since six-time selection Cam Fisher in 2023 and the fourth All-American in the last five years under Woodard.