Recording a pair of outs in the seventh inning to help preserve a teammate’s perfect game.
And telling his basketball coach he might not suit up for the Braves next season.
“I’m not going to lie, but I was a little bit nervous,” Gray said of his recent talk with basketball coach Chris McGuire.
Gray’s future in baseball is secure. The Wright State recruit who hits left-handed leads his team in runs batted in (16), stolen bases (7) and on-base percentage (.538) while ranking second in average (.364) and runs (17).
On the mound, the right-handed pitcher leads the team in wins (3-1), strikeouts, innings (25) and ERA for pitchers with more than 20 innings pitched (2.52). His fastball tops out at 85 mph.
“He’s a crucial part of our team. Every team (we play), the first question they ask is how is the Gray kid doing?” Shawnee coach Rob Cassell said.
“A lot of teams have chosen to not throw him a lot of strikes. Sometimes he puts a lot of pressure on himself because I don’t think he thinks he’s hitting the ball as well as he should be. He’s hit a lot of balls hard and hit them right at guys. Sometimes baseball doesn’t go your way even though you’re playing well.”
Shawnee (12-8 overall, 7-4 Central Buckeye Conference) snapped a three-game losing streak with a win Thursday — a perfect game from senior Kalen Frederick against Northwestern — and split a doubleheader Saturday with Xenia.
“We’ve struggled at the plate,” Cassell said. “That’s just something we’ve got to fight through and we’ll get it figured out.”
Senior Andrew Tincher (.382) and junior Drew Fultz (.302) join Gray as players hitting. 300 or better. The Braves are hitting .268 as a team.
Optimism — along with pitching and defense — continues to one of the Braves’ strengths. Gray is again among the team leaders in congratulatory high-fives, pats on the back and words of encouragement to lift spirits.
“I think of myself as a leader on the team and try to be a good role model,” he said. “Just try to pick people up when they’re down and be a positive influence.”
He’d like to continue the same thing on the basketball court next season. He averaged a team-high 7.5 rebounds and second-best 16.4 points. But he’s considering using next winter to focus on baseball.
“I’m not sure what I’m doing next year with basketball,” Gray said. “I just told coach (McGuire) the other day. He said he’d love for me to play but I think I have to do what’s in my best interest. I love the game of basketball, but I have more of a career in baseball.”
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