Page 54 - DBU Baseball 20-21 Media Guide

#20 Ray Gaither
RHP • 6-4 224 R-Jr. • Coppell, TX (Coppell HS)
2020 (REDSHIRT JUNIOR)
Was the team’s Friday night starter, making four starts before the season was halted ... Posted a 3.98 ERA and struck out 26 batters over 20.1 innings of work ... His 26 strikeouts were the fourth most in the Missouri Valley Conference ... VS. NON-CONFERENCE: Started Opening Day versus South Dakota State (2/14) and threw an immaculate inning in the first inning of the season, allowing just one run while striking out seven in 4.0 innings of work ... Struck out a career-high nine batters and surrendered two earned runs in 6.0 innings against Arkansas State (2/28) ... Matched a career-high in innings pitched with a 7.0 inning performance versus Oral Roberts (3/6) allowing just two runs and one walk while striking out seven.
2019 (REDSHIRT SOPHOMORE)
Did not allow an run in six appearances, including one start ... Struck out eight batters and allowed just three hits in 6.2 innings ... VS. NON-CONFERENCE: Made his first appearance at UT Arlington (4/30) and did not surrender a run in 1.0 inning ... Struck out all three batters that he faced versus Stephen F. Austin (5/7) ... MVC TOURNAMENT: Held Illinois State scoreless in 2.0 innings of work (5/24) ... LUBBOCK REGIONAL: Struck out both batters that he faced against Texas
Tech in the Lubbock Regional final (6/2).
2018 (SOPHOMORE)
Earned a redshirt season after making just a pair of relief appearances ... VS. TOP 25 OPPONENTS: Pitched 0.2 innings of scoreless relief in his final appearance of the year at then-ranked No. 11 Clemson (2/24) ... VS. NON-CONFERENCE: Earned his first career save in a 5-3 win over Monmouth (2/17) after striking out two batters in 1.0 inning
of work.
2017 (FRESHMAN)
Pitched in 17 games, making 14 starts ... Also made 10 starts as a position player ... Finished second on the DBU pitching staff in strikeouts
(68) and innings pitched (75.2) ... His six wins were tied for third most on the team ... Became the team’s Friday night ace in early March and remained in that role through the rest of the regular
season ... VS. TOP 25 OPPONENTS: Made his first career start at then-ranked No. 24 Rice (2/21) and earned the win in a predetermined start, holding the Owls scoreless over 4.0 innings while not giving up a hit and striking out five ... VS. MVC OPPONENTS: Struck out a season-high seven batters over 6.0 innings at Missouri State (4/7) ... Matched a season-high in strikeouts with seven in just 4.1 innings against Bradley (5/12) ... VS. NON-CONFERENCE: Made his collegiate debut versus Louisiana Monroe in the season opener (2/17) and threw 3.0 shutout innings in relief without allowing a hit ... Came out of the bullpen to shutout Jacksonville State (3/4) over 4.1 innings and struck out six to notch his second win of the year ... Made his first start in the Friday night role for the Patriots at Oral Roberts (3/10) and picked up the victory after working 5.0 innings and surrendering just one run ... Blanked Grambling State (3/17) for 5.0 innings and struck out five to improve to 4-0 on the season ... Held Central Arkansas (4/13) to just one run and fanned seven in 6.0 innings of work ... MVC TOURNAMENT: Earned the win against Indiana State (5/26) after giving up three earned runs over 6.0 innings ... FORT WORTH REGIONAL: Threw a season-high 7.0 innings and allowed just two earned runs while striking out six to pick up the win over then-ranked No. 11 Virginia (6/5).
COLLEGIATE SUMMER LEAGUE
Spent the summer of 2020 with the Dallas Tigers in the Five Tool Collegiate League ... Pitched for the Bourne Braves in the Cape Cod League in 2017.
HIGH SCHOOL
Three-year letterman at Coppell High School... Played for head coach Kendall Clark ... Starred at the plate and on the mound for a Coppell team that was ranked No. 1 in the nation for the majority of the 2016 season ... Garnered Louisville Slugger First Team All-American honors as a utility player his senior year ... Tabbed a 2016 Rawlings-Perfect Game Honorable Mention All-American ... Ranked the top right-handed pitcher and the No. 8 overall prospect from the state of Texas in the class of 2016 by Perfect Game ... Also rated the No. 3 right- handed pitcher nationally and the No. 103 overall prospect nationally by Perfect Game ... Named All-Region First Team by Perfect Game following his senior season ... Tabbed a Second Team Class 6A All-State selection as a relief pitcher by the Texas Sportswriters Association as a senior ... Honored as the District’s Most Valuable Player in 2016 ... Recognized as an Underclass Second Team All-American by Perfect Game in 2015 ... Was one of just 22 players named to the Texas Rangers 2015 Area Code team ... Competed for the Dallas Tigers in the summers.
PERSONAL
Born on March 4, 1998 ... Parents are Jerry and Barbara Gaither ... His father, Jerry Gaither, played football at TCU from 1974-1977 ... Majoring in Sports Management ... Favorite Bible verse is Proverbs 27:19.
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