PORTLAND, Ore. – Portland baseball pitcher Brett Gillis has been drafted by the Houston Astros in the ninth round of the 2022 Major League Baseball Draft. Gillis was the 283rd player drafted overall and the sixth Pilot to be taken in the MLB Draft since head coach Geoff Loomis took the reigns in 2015.

A right-handed starting pitcher, Gillis (6-2, 215) put together a stellar season for the Pilots in 2022. He was a second team All-American for both Collegiate Baseball News and ABCA/Rawlings, while also being named the West Coast Conference Pitcher of the Year – the first Pilot to ever win the award. Gillis was an ABCA/Rawlings NCAA Division I All-Region West First Team selection, making him the first All-Region honoree since 1992 along with Peter Allegro.

Gillis put up stellar numbers this year, posting a 2.24 ERA and a 9-2 record. His ERA was good for first in the WCC and 14th in the nation. It was also second nationally among pitchers with 70 innings or more pitched. He ranked first in the WCC in hits allowed per nine innings (6.51), second in wins, third in strikeouts (115), fourth in strikeouts per nine innings (12.27) and fifth in strikeout-to-walk ratio (3.59). Nationally, he was 21st in strikeouts, 23rd in wins, 27th in strikeouts per nine and 29th in hits allowed per nine.

The Pilots put together one of their best seasons in program history this past year, finishing 32-23 overall with a 17-10 record in WCC play. It was their best overall finish since 2010 and their best WCC record ever. Portland also finished second in the WCC – their highest regular season finish ever – and earned a berth to the WCC Tournament for the first time in program history, taking third.

Gillis will join fellow Pilot alum Chad Stevens in the Astros organization. Stevens was drafted last year in the 11th round and is having a solid season for the High-A Asheville Tourists. Other active Pilots playing professionally include Cooper Hummel with the Arizona Diamondbacks and Beau Brundage of the High-A Bowling Green Hot Rods (Tampa Bay Affiliate).