Belleville East, senior right-handed pitcher and infielder, Evan Gray, has been named this week’s PBR Player of the Week thanks to his outstanding performance at the plate and on the mound for the Lancers.

Last Monday, in a conference matchup against Collinsville, Gray twirled a five-inning no-hitter in an 11-0 win. Gray threw 62 pitches, (74% strikes), struck out 10 and walked one. Gray, a right-handed hitter, also had a big day at the plate in the same game. Gray went 2-for-3 with a grand slam, five RBI’s and two runs scored.

On the week, Gray threw a total of seven inning, allowed one hit, one run and struck out 14. At the plate, he finished 6-for-10 with the grand slam, six RBI, three runs, walked once and was hit-by-a-pitch.

Gray, an Arkansas commit, currently ranked No. 22 in the Illinois’ 2019 class, has had an impressive season and was an All-Conference selection as a two-way player. On the season, Gray was 4-3 with a 2.73 ERA. He struck out 79 in 43.2 innings pitched and only allowed 25 hits. At the plate, Gray hit .378 with five home runs and 45 RBI’s.

Below is a scouting report and video from Gray’s first start of the season at the Metro East Kickoff Classic.

Kickoff Classic: Arkansas commit. 6-foot-4, 190-pound, strong, wide-shouldered, right-handed pitcher. Started on the mound for Belleville East. One of the top power arms in the state. Arm is clean on the backside and quick out front. Did not throw a fastball under 90 mph until he had to work out of the stretch in the fourth inning. 11 of his first 12 outs were recorded via the strikeout and he struck out eight straight at one point. Worked primarily off of his fastball. Fastball, works straight, four-seam finish through the zone, average command and sat 90-92 mph, touching a few 93’s early. Out of the stretch worked mostly 88-89 mph. Showed a curveball and a slider. Slider flashed hard bite, inconsistent feel, 83-84 mph. Went more to the curveball and gained feel as the outing went on; 11/5 shape, tight spin, swing and miss action at times, sat 76-79 mph. Extremely impressive first start of the season for Gray. Final Line: 6 IP, 2 H, R, 14 K, BB.

For his efforts, Gray has been named the PBR Player of the Week for the week of May 13 - May 19.

2019 PBR PLAYER OF THE WEEK AWARD WINNERS