College pitcher <a href="https://charlotte49ers.com/sports/baseball/roster/blake-gillespie/12298">Blake Gillespie</a> has been on a season-long campaign of dominance, and it has gained the attention of scouts. The University of North Carolina at Charlotte hurler has been a force for the 49ers rotation, and he&#8217;s put up impressive numbers this season. 
Gillespie is a right-handed pitcher who has strong Canadian ties despite being born in America, as he attended secondary school in Ontario and suited up for the Ontario Nationals before leaving for Clarmont, Georgia. The college prospect committed to Georgia, spending his freshman and sophomore years in the Southeastern Conference, where he struggled to find a rhythm with the Bulldogs his first two years. 
The Michigan product then moved over to Charlotte, where he competed in the American Athletic Conference. His first two seasons in Georgia were not ideal, as he pitched only 19 innings, stripping him of an opportunity to showcase and perform.
<h2>The turnaround translated to success for Gillespie </h2>
Life is different for him now in Charlotte, with both sides<a href="https://www.1stoverall.com/post/player-performance-update-right-handed-pitcher-blake-gillespie"> benefiting from his increased </a>mound time and performance. The right-hander sticks a .600 win-loss percentage with a 7-4 record, and a 2.42 ERA. He amassed 100 1/3 innings with three complete games, two shut-outs, and letting up only 27 earned runs off of 69 hits and 19 walks while striking out 131 batters. 
On March 7th, 2025, Gillespie started against James Madison University, where he made history against their lineup. Gillespie tossed nine complete innings and pitched a no-hitter against JMU, the second time in program history. 
Gillespie grinded for the entire way, allowing nothing but one walk, as he struck out 11 hitters. In just 113 pitches, the right-hander recorded history, both personally and institutionally. 
A no-hitter was not the only accomplishment that Gillespie earned. In 2025, he won the American Athletic Conference Pitcher of the Year Award. He also won the AAC Newcomer Pitcher of the Year, as well as a Unanimous First Team All-Conference selection. 
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="550" data-dnt="true">
𝐏𝐢𝐭𝐜𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐘𝐞𝐚𝐫⚾️
Blake Gillespie x <a href="https://twitter.com/CharlotteBSB?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@CharlotteBSB</a> ⛏️<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/AmericanWay?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#AmericanWay</a> x <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/AmericanBSB?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#AmericanBSB</a> <a href="https://t.co/zGJuZRgzaa">pic.twitter.com/zGJuZRgzaa</a>
&mdash; The American (@American_Conf) <a href="https://twitter.com/American_Conf/status/1924540566441689589?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 19, 2025</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
<h3>Scouting Synopsis</h3>
Gillespie stands 6’2” at 205 lbs, and is structured on the athletic-strong side. He works tall off the mound and eases towards his batters, delivering each offering with confidence. Gillespie challenges hitters and works the strike zone with all of his options.
He shows good command and can locate pitches effectively. Gillespie will live low out of danger and gets a lot of opposing batters to chase his offerings. He throws a fastball, slider, and changeup. 
His fastball works up to 94 mph, ranging between 92-93, consistent with more in the tank. The slider is his put-away option and works as an effective break, causing imbalance and panic to hitters. His changeup has fade, works on a drop, and changes speeds very well. 
Gillespie’s offerings and tools can be compared to Blue Jays right-hander reliever Chad Green. 
<h3>Draft Watch</h3>
Gillespie is currently not ranked on MLB’s top 150 <a href="https://bluejaysnation.com/news/blue-jays-2025-mlb-draft-first-mock-draft-roundup-with-just-under-two-months-to-go">draft prospects</a> for 2025, but a strong season with the 49ers has him in draft consideration. The Canadian Baseball Network <a href="https://www.canadianbaseballnetwork.com/canadian-baseball-network-draft-list">has him ranked</a> at #8 heading into the summer, which could rise depending on where summer ball opportunities take him (should he pursue). Despite that, the right-hander has proven himself to be in the draft conversation. 
His overall pitch profile, along with his statistics, effectiveness on the mound, and metrics, has built a strong case for a selection ranging between the fourth to seventh rounds.
UNC Charlotte has produced 68 total draft picks since 1965, when the selections started. In 2023, Charlotte had four draft picks.  Gillespie’s campaign in 2025 sets him up to join that impressive list of alumni.
<hr />
<a href="https://nationgear.ca/collections/bluejaysnation"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-85322" src="https://publish.bluejaysnation.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/8/2099/08/VLADDY_BJN-Merch_727x404_01.png" alt="" width="727" height="404" srcset="https://publish.bluejaysnation.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/8/2099/08/VLADDY_BJN-Merch_727x404_01.png 727w, https://publish.bluejaysnation.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/8/2099/08/VLADDY_BJN-Merch_727x404_01-300x167.png 300w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 727px) 100vw, 727px" /></a>
Celebrate <a href="https://nationgear.ca/collections/bluejaysnation">Vladdy’s big news</a> in style with the exclusive new <a href="https://nationgear.ca/collections/bluejaysnation">BlueJaysNation Vladdy merch</a> — available only at <a href="https://nationgear.ca/collections/bluejaysnation">NationGear.ca</a>! Rep a future Hall of Famer and wear your team&#8217;s pride loud. Limited drop. Don’t miss out.

College pitcher <a href="https://charlotte49ers.com/sports/baseball/roster/blake-gillespie/12298">Blake Gillespie</a> has been on a season-long campaign of dominance, and it has gained the attention of scouts. The University of North Carolina at Charlotte hurler has been a force for the 49ers rotation, and he's put up impressive numbers this season. 

Gillespie is a right-handed pitcher who has strong Canadian ties despite being born in America, as he attended secondary school in Ontario and suited up for the Ontario Nationals before leaving for Clarmont, Georgia. The college prospect committed to Georgia, spending his freshman and sophomore years in the Southeastern Conference, where he struggled to find a rhythm with the Bulldogs his first two years. 

The Michigan product then moved over to Charlotte, where he competed in the American Athletic Conference. His first two seasons in Georgia were not ideal, as he pitched only 19 innings, stripping him of an opportunity to showcase and perform.
<h2>The turnaround translated to success for Gillespie </h2>
Life is different for him now in Charlotte, with both sides<a href="https://www.1stoverall.com/post/player-performance-update-right-handed-pitcher-blake-gillespie"> benefiting from his increased </a>mound time and performance. The right-hander sticks a .600 win-loss percentage with a 7-4 record, and a 2.42 ERA. He amassed 100 1/3 innings with three complete games, two shut-outs, and letting up only 27 earned runs off of 69 hits and 19 walks while striking out 131 batters. 

On March 7th, 2025, Gillespie started against James Madison University, where he made history against their lineup. Gillespie tossed nine complete innings and pitched a no-hitter against JMU, the second time in program history. 

Gillespie grinded for the entire way, allowing nothing but one walk, as he struck out 11 hitters. In just 113 pitches, the right-hander recorded history, both personally and institutionally. 

A no-hitter was not the only accomplishment that Gillespie earned. In 2025, he won the American Athletic Conference Pitcher of the Year Award. He also won the AAC Newcomer Pitcher of the Year, as well as a Unanimous First Team All-Conference selection. 

https://twitter.com/American_Conf/status/1924540566441689589
<h3>Scouting Synopsis</h3>
Gillespie stands 6’2” at 205 lbs, and is structured on the athletic-strong side. He works tall off the mound and eases towards his batters, delivering each offering with confidence. Gillespie challenges hitters and works the strike zone with all of his options.

He shows good command and can locate pitches effectively. Gillespie will live low out of danger and gets a lot of opposing batters to chase his offerings. He throws a fastball, slider, and changeup. 

His fastball works up to 94 mph, ranging between 92-93, consistent with more in the tank. The slider is his put-away option and works as an effective break, causing imbalance and panic to hitters. His changeup has fade, works on a drop, and changes speeds very well. 

Gillespie’s offerings and tools can be compared to Blue Jays right-hander reliever Chad Green. 
<h3>Draft Watch</h3>
Gillespie is currently not ranked on MLB’s top 150 <a href="https://bluejaysnation.com/news/blue-jays-2025-mlb-draft-first-mock-draft-roundup-with-just-under-two-months-to-go">draft prospects</a> for 2025, but a strong season with the 49ers has him in draft consideration. The Canadian Baseball Network <a href="https://www.canadianbaseballnetwork.com/canadian-baseball-network-draft-list">has him ranked</a> at #8 heading into the summer, which could rise depending on where summer ball opportunities take him (should he pursue). Despite that, the right-hander has proven himself to be in the draft conversation. 

His overall pitch profile, along with his statistics, effectiveness on the mound, and metrics, has built a strong case for a selection ranging between the fourth to seventh rounds.

UNC Charlotte has produced 68 total draft picks since 1965, when the selections started. In 2023, Charlotte had four draft picks.  Gillespie’s campaign in 2025 sets him up to join that impressive list of alumni.

<hr />

<a href="https://nationgear.ca/collections/bluejaysnation"><img class="alignnone size-full wp-image-85322" src="https://publish.bluejaysnation.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/8/2099/08/VLADDY_BJN-Merch_727x404_01.png" alt="" width="727" height="404" /></a>

Celebrate <a href="https://nationgear.ca/collections/bluejaysnation">Vladdy’s big news</a> in style with the exclusive new <a href="https://nationgear.ca/collections/bluejaysnation">BlueJaysNation Vladdy merch</a> — available only at <a href="https://nationgear.ca/collections/bluejaysnation">NationGear.ca</a>! Rep a future Hall of Famer and wear your team's pride loud. Limited drop. Don’t miss out.

Canadian college prospects: RHP Blake Gillespie posts strong season amidst draft-eligible year

Blue Jays Minor League Report: Vancouver Canadians have won 15 of their last 17 games

Blue Jays prospect Trey Yesavage recovers from shaky first inning in double-A debut

Toronto Blue Jays shortstop Bo Bichette (11) tags out Philadelphia Phillies catcher J.T. Realmuto (10) at second base during the third inning at Rogers Centre.

Recent articles from Nick Prasad

Breaking News