The 6th best starting pitcher in the 2016 Valley League season is Corey Childress, the junior righthander from Harrisonburg and Troy!

Corey was truly outstanding for the Turks. Overall, he went 6-2, 2.88 in 9 games (8 starts), with a 1.137 WHIP, 1.6 BB/9, and 8.3 K/9 in 56 1/3 innings pitched. He threw a shutout inning at the All-Star game, and added 5 solid innings in the playoffs against Covington as well. He finished 1st in the league in innings pitched and wins, 5th in BB/9 (10 walks total), 7th in K/9, and 10th in WHIP.

Corey’s best two starts were almost exactly a month apart. On June 17 at Charlottesville, he threw 8 shutout innings while allowing 7 hits, 0 walks, and striking out 5. A month later, on July 14 at Covington, he again threw 8 innings while allowing 7 hits, 2 unearned runs, 1 walk, and striking out 5. He was named first team All-Valley League after the season. He was also named the top prospect in the entire league by Baseball America, but “only” #15 by Perfect Game.

Corey has had an interesting two seasons at Troy thus far. He started 10 games as a freshman, including becoming the first freshman in the program’s history to start the season’s opener. He relieved in 7 games that year, too. But then he moved full-time to the bullpen in his sophomore year. In ’15, he went 3-5, 5.18, with a 1.46 WHIP, 2.8 BB/9, and 6.3 K/9 in 64 1/3 innings. Then, as a sophomore, he went 2-4, 3.12, with 10 saves, a 1.20 WHIP, 2.6 BB/9, and 8.5 K/9 in 49 relief innings.

Will he move back to the rotation in 2017, or will he remain in the bullpen? Either way, Corey had a super summer season in 2016!