Former Gorlok to Start Season at AA Level
Thanks to an impressive season at the Class A level last summer, former Webster University All-American pitcher Josh Fleming will open the 2019 baseball season with the Class AA Montgomery Biscuits of the Southern League.
Fleming, who was a fifth-round selection and the 139th overall pick in the 2017 MLB Draft by the Tampa Bay Rays, went a combined 9-4 with a 2.53 ERA playing for both Low A Bowling Green and High A Charlotte last season.
In 2018, Fleming made 19 appearances, had 17 starts and threw one complete game. In 110.1 innings of work, the lefthander allowed 92 hits, 34 runs (31 earned runs), walked 19 and struck out 80, including 38 strikeouts and nine walks in 50.1 innings at High A Charlotte. Opposing hitters hit .224 against Fleming and he also recorded a WHIP of 1.01.
Fleming will a member of a Montgomery team that was just one game away from advancing to the Southern League Championship series and has made the Southern League playoff the past four seasons. In 2018, Montgomery went 79-61 and won the Southern League's North Division and lost in the North Division playoffs in five games to Jackson (Miss.).
The Biscuits open their 140 game slate on Thursday, April 4 with a 6:15 p.m. EDT road game at Chattanooga Lookouts, who are the Class AA affiliate of the Cincinnati Reds. Fleming is expected to start Montgomery's second game of the 2019 season on Friday night.
Last year, Fleming opened the season in Low A Bowling Green of the Midwest League, before being called up to High A Charlotte on July 10, 2018.
While with Bowling Green, Fleming made 10 starts and posted a 6-1 record and a 1.20 ERA. In those 60 innings of work, Fleming recorded 42 strikeouts, walked just 10 and had an 0.85 WHIP. He closed out his time in Bowling Green by winning his last four starts and compiled a 1.33 ERA as he allowed just 15 hits, four runs, three earned runs, while striking out 18 and walked just four in 27 innings of work.
Meanwhile, at Charlotte, Fleming went 3-3 with a 4.11 ERA as he made nine appearances and seven starts on the mound and tossed his first career complete game against Daytona in his final start with the Stone Crabs on Aug. 30. In 50.1 innings with Charlotte, Fleming allowed 51 hits, 25 runs (23 earned runs), while walking nine and striking out 38. Opposing hitters hit .258 and Fleming posted a 1.19 WHIP.
The former D3Baseball.com Pitcher of the Year in 2017 began his professional in the summer of 2017 with the Rays Rookie League team in Princeton of the Appalachian League. At Princeton, Fleming went 1-2 with a 5.40 ERA as he appeared in 12 games and made nine starts. In 35 innings of work, Fleming allowed 42 hits, 23 runs (21 earned runs), while walking seven and striking 26 and posted a WHIP of 1.40.
Fleming completed his third and final season with the Gorloks in 2017. As a junior in 2017, Fleming, who is a native of Columbia, Ill., recorded an NCAA Division III leading ERA of 0.68 and was second in Division III in strikeouts with 115 in 92.2 innings of work. In addition, he posted an 8-1 record in helping the Gorloks advance to the NCAA Division III Baseball Regional Tournament for the 11th time in school history.
In 2017, Fleming racked up numerous honors, including being named the D3Baseball.com Pitcher of the Year and earning First-Team All-American honors from both D3Baseball.com and ABCA/Rawlings. In addition, he was named the St. Louis Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Pitcher of the Year, the Central Region Pitcher of the Year and a First-Team All-Central Region selection by both D3Baseball.com and ABCA/Rawlings.
Fleming set Webster single season marks for ERA and strikeouts and allowed the second lowest batting average for opponents (.165). Additionally, Fleming recorded the lowest career ERA in school history (1.92) and finished second in career strikeouts (251) and fourth in wins (19).
STORY COURTESY OF WEBSTER UNIVERSITY SPORTS INFORMATION
