From Aurora to Aiken. Senior pitcher Connor Riley has had a unique journey from Masmiou Academy to Black Hawk College and then to USC Aiken prior to his junior season.
During his first year with the Pacers, Riley was a capable pitcher that registered 30.2 innings and a .216 batting average. He went 3-1 on the season while appearing in 19 games.
As good as Riley was last year, he has already proven that he can be a dominant pitcher for USC Aiken this season.
Riley got the ball on opening day and he has not been shy about wanting to be in that position. So far this season, Riley is 1-1 but has a pair of quality starts. He holds a 4.41 ERA, but has had two contests where he did not allow a run.
In the season-opening game, Riley worked five innings and struck out seven Railsplitters en route to the 9-0 win. In the series opener against Young Harris, Riley gave up just two hits and no runs in six innings of work, but the bullpen gave up a pair of runs in the ninth, disqualifying Riley from picking up the win.
His demeanor on the mound is like no other and Riley gained a lot of confidence from this past summer where he became just the third pitcher in his summer league to ever strike out 100 batters.
Brielle Jungblut sat down with Riley prior to the season. Check out the latest Innovative Solutions “A Closer Look.”
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