Masterful Charlotte Pitcher Blake Gillespie Named Pitcher Of The Week — Again
For the second time this season, Blake Gillespie has been named the American Athletic Conference Pitcher of the Week.
Gillespie fired 8.0 innings of shutout pitching in Charlotte Baseball’s 6-0 win over East Carolina in Uptown at Truist Field on Friday night, helping the Niners take the series against the Pirates while picking up the team’s first-ever shutout victory when playing in Uptown. Gillespie fanned 11 batters for his fourth start this year of 8.0+ IP and 11+ Ks while notching his fourth quality start in a row and second without allowing an earned run. He was the only pitcher in the American Athletic Conference this week to tally double-digit strikeouts without allowing a single run.
Weekly recognition from The American is not new for Gillespie as he shared Pitcher of the Week honors a month ago with ECU’s Ethan Norby after Gillespie threw the second no-hitter in program history and he’s taken home four honorable mention awards as well – including each of the previous three weeks. Gillespie has gotten the conference slate off on a tear, leading The American with an incredible 0.90 ERA and 44 strikeouts with a 4-0 record in four conference games this year.
Gillespie is the first Charlotte pitcher to win multiple weekly awards in the American Athletic Conference and the first CLT pitcher overall to earn multiple honors in the same season since current pitching coordinator Cameron Hansen took home a pair of Conference USA Pitcher of the Week awards in 2023. Gillespie is the sixth Niner pitcher to earn a weekly award multiple times in the same season, joining Hansen (CUSA, twice, 2023), Brock Hudgens (A-10, three times, 2013), Corey Roberts (A-10, twice, 2011), Spencer Steedley (A-10, twice, 2007), and consensus First Team All-American Adam Mills (A-10, seven times, 2007). Joseph Taylor has also taken home Pitcher of the Week honors from The American this year, doing so after the second week of the season.