When Darin Gillies lost his spot in the starting rotation at the beginning of the 2013 season, it could’ve deterred him from reaching his potential.
Instead, the former San Benito High standout used the demotion to improve himself in every phase of the game. On Monday, Gillies’ perseverance paid off as he was named the Pacific-12 Conference Pitcher of the Week.
“It’s a special thing and kind of encouraging to win the award,” said Gillies, who yielded just two hits and no earned runs over six innings in the Sun Devils’ 8-6 win over No. 9 Oregon on May 11. “To win the award, you obviously have to do something impactful for the team on the weekend.”
Despite being the team’s No. 3 starter, Gillies only has six decisions for the season out of 12 starts. While his stats might not look impressive at first glance—he’s 2-4 with a 4.62 ERA—it’s more of a byproduct of one or two bad outings and other circumstances than inconsistency.
Gillies’ performance against Oregon marked the third time this season in which he has not allowed an earned run in six or more innings. The 6-foot-4, 214-pound right-hander primarily uses a two-seam fastball and slider to go along with his secondary pitches, a curveball and change-up.
Whatever Gillies throws, his main objective is to keep the ball down, locate it well and impart a ton of movement on the ball.
“I’m more of a mixed pitcher than a power pitcher,” said Gillies, whose fastball regularly hits 88-92 mph. “I like to rely on movement, which is always key for a pitcher.”
Gillies has been an integral part of an ASU team that entered the week with a 26-21 overall record and 14-10 mark in the Pac-12. The series-clinching win over Oregon marked the third time the Sun Devils have won a three-game series over a team ranked in the top 15 this season, a school record.
“When we play a ranked opponent, we rise to the occasion,” he said. “This team has a chance to beat anyone at any time.”
A lot of people might have been counting Gillies out after he lost his spot in the starting rotation following a bad outing in his first start of the 2013 season. However, Gillies was unwavering in his belief that he could develop into a more complete pitcher once the college season was over.
Last summer Gillies played for the Newport Gulls of the New England Collegiate League, where he was determined to work on his game.
“I worked really hard to throw all my pitches better,” he said. “(Going to the bullpen) was competitive fuel for me, and I wanted to come back and prove I had the ability to get my starting job back.”
Off the field, Gillies likes to hunt and fish. A prolific Tweeter, Gillies sports a proud look in his May 6 tweet in which he holds up a bucket mouth, a largemouth bass. On the field, Gillies has enjoyed similar success in catching hitters off-guard.
