CornBelters sweep weekly Frontier League awards

Posted on August 7, 2017

By Greg Halbleib

NORMAL – The Normal CornBelters have grabbed both of the weekly awards issued by the Frontier League, as Charlie Gillies is the circuit’s Pitcher of the Week while Jesus Solorzano is the Player of the Week.

Gillies pitched his third complete game of the season on Sunday, a four-hit shutout in a 4-0 win over the Gateway Grizzlies. The right-hander from Castaic, Cal. issued only two walks and struck out eight.

Gillies is in his sixth professional season and second with the CornBelters. He was drafted by the Detroit Tigers in 2012.

Solorzano hit .619 in five games, going 13-for-21 at the plate with eight runs batted in. He scored six runs and hit four doubles.

Solorzano is a native of Barcelona, Venezuela and is his first season with the CornBelters and 10th in professional baseball, spending time in the Marlins organization and his native country as well as independent baseball.

Gillies and Solorzano are the second CornBelters duo to sweep the Frontier League awards this season and are the fourth and fifth Belters to win a weekly award in 2017. Shawn Blackwell and Aaron Dudley took the awards in the season’s fourth week. Scott Sebald was last week’s Pitcher of the Week.

The CornBelters visit Southern Illinois Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday before hosting the River City Rascals on Friday to begin a six-game homestand.

Greg Halbleib can be reached at [email protected].

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