When it comes to pitching, it can be said Normal CornBelters teammates Charlie Gillies and Brennan Smith are seeing the long and short of any game they play in.
Gillies has been with the team only slightly longer with the team than Smith, who only joined during their last road trip, jumping on at Lake Erie and seeing action against Washington.
A Couple Of Real Tigers: Both Gillies, who turned 26 July 30, and Smith, who turned 27 Aug. 4, have been through the rigors of the minor league system with the Detroit Tigers organization. Gillies was drafted by the Tigers in 2012 and played with teams within their farm system in places like Norwich, Conn. and Grand Rapids, Mich. While with the Tigers, however, he sustained an arm injury requiring Tommy John Surgery to his pitching arm in 2013.
He was released by the Tigers at the end of the 2014 season. At the beginning of the 2015 season, he was signed by the Trois-Rivieres (Three Rivers) Aigles of the Can-Am League. The Aigles won the league championship with his help last season, but as this season started, the team got off to an abysmal 3-23 start, prompting a shakeup in the roster including cutting Gillies and teammate and CornBelters favorite Sam Judah.
Gillies said Judah suggested seeing if Normal Manager Brooks Carey would be looking for help on the mound. As it happened, he was. “I wanted to redeem my season because I didn’t get off to such a hot start,†explained Gillies, a resident of Castaic, Calif., just outside of the Los Angeles suburbs. “I was looking to end the season well.â€
“I struggled because I was trying to do too much,†Gillies said explaining how this season began for him. “As a team, we made errors, and we didn’t score runs.†Gillies also confessed to “trying to be too fine†in his work on the mound which only complicated the issue.
“When I got here, Brooks and I talked in his office, and he basically said I could just relax,†Gillies said. Judah returned to the ‘Belters as well, and is serving as the team’s hitting coach. Since his arrival here, the biggest news Gillies has brought to the team was a complete game one-hit 3-0 win over Gateway in early July.
Relief pitcher Brennan Smith has played in the last two road series with Normal, getting on board when the team was at Lake Erie as July was winding down. He and his wife, Julianne were married in November, and reside in the Cleveland suburb of Sheffield Village. He has been looking for a team to join since the Tigers released him earlier this season. He and Gillies were together in the Tigers organization, but Smith had been there a little longer, since 2010, when they drafted him from Bowling Green University. While with the Tigers’ Class AA Erie (Pa.) SeaWolves, he sustained a forearm strain, which put him on the disabled list for a time before he was released.
“I rehabbed with the Tigers and my arm felt good although I didn’t throw in any rehab games, so teams I would go to after Detroit released me probably wondered whether my arm is healthy,†the 27-year-old Smith said. “But I really wanted to go somewhere where I’d get some appearances and get to show I’m healthy and show my stuff.â€
Smith and Gillies had stayed in touch since their time with Detroit, and Smith got wind of Normal from Gillies and met up with the CornBelters during their road trip in northeast Ohio. A hopeful Smith explained of his move here, “Talking to Charlie and Brooks, it sounded like I’d get to throw here, show what I’ve got, and hopefully, get to showcase it and see if any affiliated teams are interested.â€
Smith said he had been contacted during the two months he had been off the diamond by other clubs but nothing came of those contacts. He said knowing Gillies was among the bonuses he considered when he made his decision to join Normal.
The pair has yet to be in a game where Gillies started and handed off the ball to Smith to complete the job. The closest they have come since reteaming was during the recent road trip, at Washington, with a middle reliever getting some innings between them.
“For this league, Gillies and Smith can be dominant at times,†Carey said of Gillies and Smith, adding the same could be said of a third pitcher the manager said he believes belongs in the same category, right hander Mike Ellwood. “All three are top notch guys we’ve got here. Gillies pitches like he’s an ace, and Smith out of the bullpen was throwing 95 miles an hour plus. That’s a pretty good fastball for these parts. Gillies, Smith, and Ellwood have turned us into a pretty good pitching staff right now.â€
‘Belters Still In Playoff Hunt: As this week began, Normal was 33-32 before Tuesday’s games started, 2 ½ games out of second place, currently held by the Evansville Otters. That would appear to give them a look of contenders as the last month of the season begins. Three Normal players — outfielders Nolan Meadows and Dillon Haupt, and first baseman Aaron Dudley began this week in the top three slots leading the Frontier League in home runs with 18, 15, and 14, respectfully.
Dudley and Meadows are second and fifth, respectfully, in the league in runs batted in. Dudley has 56; Meadows has 50, and they are both pursuing league leader Steve Marino of the Southern Illinois Miners, who had 59 as this week began.
On the mound, pitcher Michael Schweiss is in a tie for fourth league-wide in strikeouts with Evansville hurler Tyler Vail. Each man has 73, while Gateway’s Vincent Molesky leads the league with 89. Normal’s Chris Carmain is sixth in the league with 71 Schweiss had the league’s seventh lowest earned run average – 2.71 – as this week began.
CornBelters Return To The Corn Crib Aug. 12: After Monday’s league-imposed day off, Carey’s team becomes a road company for nine games over 10 days. The tour began with three games Tuesday through Thursday, Aug. 2-4 at Joliet. Friday through Sunday, Aug. 5-7, they will move to Traverse City for three games. Following another Monday off on Aug. 8, they will conclude the road trip with three games at Southern Illinois Miners Aug. 9-11. Their next home game at The Corn Crib will be a three-game tilt against River City Rascals starting Friday, Aug. 12 with a 6:35p.m. first pitch.