College baseball, at all levels, is a fast-paced arms race.
And the local area has produced several hurlers who are pitching in, in a big-time way, at their respective universities in the early going this season.
Former Wilmington High star, Jackson Gillis, a 6-foot-3, 225-pound sophomore, is off to a strong start at perennial SEC power Vanderbilt University. A hard-throwing southpaw, Gillis took the mound last Saturday in the ballpark, Sandy Koufax, one of the greatest lefthanders of all-time used to called home, getting the start against Texas Christian University in a game that was part of the Dodger Stadium College Baseball Classic.
Gillis had two strikeouts in two innings and didn’t figure in the decision as Vanderbilt posted a 7-4 victory over TCU. As of Thursday, Gillis was 2-0 for the season, appearing in four games (one start), allowing 10 hits in 11.2 innings while striking out 15. One of Gillis’ wins came in relief against UMass Lowell on Feb. 24.
Last spring, Gillis appeared in 16 games for the Commodores as a freshman, finishing with a 3.60 ERA and an impressive .173 batting average against while allowing only nine hits and striking out 19 in 15 innings . . .
Redshirt sophomore righthander Kyle Murphy, a former Billerica High standout, is doing a great job working out of the bullpen for Northeastern University. Murphy is 1-0 with two saves and a 3.18 ERA in four appearances for the Huskies, who headed into Saturday’s home game against Holy Cross with a 9-5 record.
Murphy registered his win in relief in a 10-8 victory over Missouri last month, pitching the final 2.2 innings. The win over Missouri was Northeastern’s first-ever against an SEC opponent.
In 5.2 innings of work this season, Murphy, who stands 6-foot-2 and weighs 220-pounds, has given up six hits and notched four strikeouts. Murphy’s older brother Chris, is a redshirt junior righthander at the University of Maine, who stands 6-foot-5 and was drafted by the Toronto Blue Jays in the 29th round of Major League Baseball’s First-Year Player Draft out of Billerica High.
Chris Murphy has made four starts so far this season, recording 12 strikeouts in 12.1 innings pitched, and is listed as the probable starter on Sunday for Game 4 of the Black Bears’ weekend series at New Mexico State University.
Maine plays a weekend series against UMass Lowell at LeLacheur Park on Saturday, April 21 (doubleheader) and Sunday, April 22 (single game) . . .
Junior Brock Riley, a former Lowell High standout, has played an important role as a reliever and starter while helping Salem State University get off to a 6-3 start.
This talented righthander headed into the weekend with a 2-0 record with 2 saves. In four appearances (one start), Riley had only given up nine hits with 15 strikeouts in 11 innings. Prior to attending Salem State, Riley pitched at Franklin Pierce and spent time with UMaine’s baseball program . . .
Former Lowell High star, Henry Funaro, has quickly emerged as a key contributor on UMass Lowell’s staff. The hard-throwing 6-foot-4, 223-pound freshman righthander is off to a 1-3 start with 19 strikeouts in 18.1 innings pitched while limiting opposing hitters to a .215 batting average.
Funaro’s collegiate debut was a memorable one. He pitched five no-hit innings with six strikeouts to earn a win against Morehead State. That performance earned Funaro America East Rookie of the Week honors . . .
Freshman Joe Simeone, who was a fixture in Groton-Dunstable’s rotation in recent high school seasons, has pitched out of the bullpen for the University of Connecticut. Simeone, a 6-foot-3, 205-pound righthander, has made two appearances, with two strikeouts and one run allowed in 1.1 innings pitched.
Carmine Frongillo’s e-mail address is cfrongillo@lowellsun.com.
