In our next attempt at a summing-up of the 2023 Valley League season, let’s take a look at the top three starting pitchers.

#3: Connor Maryniak, Culpeper (Misericordia): Maryniak went 2-0, 1.84 in 24 1/3 innings, with a .180 BAA, 0.823 WHIP, 1.5 BB/9, and 5.9 K/9. Among players considered for this list, he finished 1st in WHIP, 2nd in BB/9, 3rd in batting average against, and 8th in ERA. He went 5-1, 5.60 in 45 innings on the mound for Misericordia in 2023, after throwing 28 innings as a freshman in 2022. (As a side note, Maryniak’s hometown is Reading, PA, which is very close to ATVL’s hometown!)

#2: Garrett Gainey, Winchester (Liberty, on his way to South Carolina): Gainey went 4-0, 1.22 in 22 innings, with a .222 BAA, 1.000 WHIP, 1.6 BB/9, and 10.6 K/9. Among pitchers on this list, he finished 3rd in both WHIP and BB/9, 4th in ERA, and 6th in K/9. He also pitched in Winchester in 2021, when he went 2-1, 4.11, with 25 K’s in 15 1/3 innings. Gainey’s been a bit of a nomad in his college career; he pitched for Winthrop from 2020 to 2022, moved to Liberty in 2023, and will pitch for South Carolina in 2024. In his entire college career, he’s 10-11, 7.45, with 116 strikeouts in 141 innings.

#1: Mark Perkins, Charlottesville (Rice): Perkins was unhittable for Charlottesville, going 3-0, 0.58 in 31 innings, with a .172 BAA, 0.839 WHIP, 1.7 BB/9, and 11.6 K/9. He led the league in ERA, finished 2nd in both BAA and WHIP, 3rd in K/9, 4th in BB/9, tied for 4th in strikeouts, and even 9th in innings pitched. He was named All-VBL in the South, and South Pitcher of the Year. He ticks all the boxes- control, misses bats, and durable (made seven starts). Perkins has played two seasons at Rice, where he has gone a combined 1-1, 7.28 in 38 innings, with 21 K’s.