Just three starts into his stint in Triple-A baseball and Bryse Wilson is already setting records.
On Wednesday night, Wilson broke a nearly decade-old Gwinnett Stripers franchise record with 13 strikeouts as Gwinnett defeated the Louisville Bats 4-3 to complete a three-game sweep. Wilson’s broke the old record set by Charlie Moton on April 12, 2009. That game was the fourth in Gwinnett history after the franchise relocated from Richmond, VA.
Wilson struck out seven of the first ten batters he faced. Since being called up from Double-A Mississippi of the Southern League, Wilson has gone 3-0 with a 4.50 ERA for the Stripers.
Wilson has three wins in three starts with the Stripers. In his first AAA outing, he gave up ten hits and seven runs in a 10-7 victory over Norfolk, striking out eight. Last Thursday against Buffalo, Wilson tossed six-and-two-thirds innings, allowing seven hits and four runs in a 9-5 Stripers’ victory.
After spending all of 2017 with the Macon Braves of the South Atlantic League, it’s been a summer of promotions for Wilson. He started the season with the Florida Fire Frogs of the Florida State League. In five starts, Wilson went 2-0 with a 0.34 ERA. He only yielded four runs in the FSL, and only one of those was earned. He struck out 26 with no walks.
On May 7, Wilson was promoted to Mississippi, where his early outings were his toughest of the season. At one point, Wilson lost five straight starts with a 6.24 ERA through 44 2/3 innings. In each of his five losses, Mississippi scored three runs or less. Things turned around last month.
In the month of July, Wilson led all of minor league baseball with 42 strikeouts, despite being the youngest player in the Southern League at 20 years old. He finished July with a 2-0 record, throwing 32 1/3 innings, allowing three runs, seven walks and a 0.84 ERA.
Wilson is currently the youngest pitcher in AAA baseball by eight months. In his final AA start on July 30th against Birmingham, Wilson had eight strikeouts over five innings. In all five starts in the month of July, Wilson struck out more batters than he pitched innings. Wilson’s longest start in Mississippi came on July 19th in a 2-0 victory over the Montgomery Biscuts, striking out nine over seven innings. He yielded only three hits and a walk in a no decision.
Wilson spent all of 2017 with the Macon Braves of the South Atlantic League, where he went 10-7 with a 2.50 ERA in 26 starts. He struck out 139 while walking 37.
Wilson, the son of Chad and Tracey Wilson of Hillsborough, is a 2016 graduate of Orange. He was selected in the 4th round by Atlanta in the 2016 Major League Baseball draft. As a four-year starter on the baseball team, Wilson went 33-4 with a 0.90 ERA in leading the Panthers to four Big 8 Conference Championships. His win total likely would have been higher if it wasn’t for a shoulder injury during his sophomore season, which limited him to four starts on the mound.
Wilson’s father, Chad, is a 1990 graduate of Orange High. Bryse’s brother, Payton, was an All-State linebacker at Orange and will redshirt the upcoming season at N.C. State.