RILEY HAS JOLLY OLD TIME EARNING SILVER
LHS grad a coach for Great Britain at Euro Championships
Brock Riley is keeping the British end up in the baseball world.
The Groton resident and Lowell High graduate has been pitching in on the national stage, serving as bullpen coach for Great Britain’s national baseball team.
The Brits enjoyed a tremendous run at the 2023 European Baseball Championships before bowing to Spain in the gold medal game 11-2, Sunday in Brno, Czechia. It marked Great Britain’s first time in the finals in 16 years and the team’s third silver medal and first since 2007.
“It feels absolutely incredible to make it to the finals,” said Riley, 27. “This is the biggest tournament in Great Britain baseball history. Our manager, Drew Spencer, said if we can get top five in this tournament, it’s going to dramatically increase the funding the program gets from the government. We’ve already secured second place, so we surpassed our goal, which is unbelievable.”
Riley’s international excursion is the latest chapter in a baseball career which continues to grow.
A 2014 Lowell High graduate, Riley was a highly skilled pitching prospect with an 88 miles per hour fastball. He played two years at Franklin Pierce, appearing in just eight games over two seasons, before transferring to the University of Maine due to lack of playing time.
When the incoming Maine coach wouldn’t honor his scholarship, he then made the move to Salem State. The righty went 7-2 in his first season with the Vikings, with four saves, 56 strikeouts and a 3.66 earned run average. He went 4-6 the following year, fanning 58 in 51 frames, before embarking on a four-year professional career pitching in the Frontier and Pioneer Leagues.
By 2018, Riley was ranked 11th among Massachusettsbased MLB prospects. In March 2020, a scout invited the 6-foot, 200-pound right-handed hurler to spring training with the Arizona Diamondbacks, but that dream quickly ended with the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The same scout also recruited players for Great Britain. He felt
Riley’s arm, coupled by his family’s surname, could make him an ideal import in the United Kingdom, with a chance to play in the World Baseball Classic and the Olympics.
“He said if I can get a passport, he could likely get me a spot on the Great Britain national baseball team,” said Riley. “Unfortunately, my family was just too far removed generation-wise to qualify. It must be your grandparents or sooner. So, I just missed it.”
Around that time, Riley began looking for new baseball opportunities. And when he recently learned Great Britain was looking for a new bullpen coach, he jumped at the opportunity.
“After a lengthy interview, I got offered the job in July,” said
quick. Now is the time. And I’m going to put a lot of time into that and focus on what I can do better. The guys around me are doing a good job. We’re definitely working hard. Just excited to try to come out of this hole that I dug.”
Jones was asked by WEEI about the support he has from teammates after his early-season struggles.
The former Alabama QB explained what he has to do to earn trust from the rest of the team.
“Yeah, I think for me, I’ve just got to go out there and win some games, and that’s what it all comes down to is going out there, doing my part,” Jones said. “I’m working
hard. I know I can do it. I have to believe in myself, and I didn’t really give them a lot to believe in the other night, but I will show that I can do it. That comes from hard work and trusting myself and trusting them.”
Jones, as well as other players, have said in the past that they believe the team is close to putting it all together. It certainly didn’t look that way on Sunday in the worst loss by points margin of Belichick’s 23-year tenure as head coach.
It might be a while before the Patriots can convincingly state that they’re “close.”
“Definitely hard to say that because you can’t play like that and feel good about it, but I do feel like we have a really good team,” Jones said. “I have a great respect for the guys in the locker room. I just have to do a better job playing good football. For me, that just starts with staying positive and learning what I can do better. I know I’m going to fight. I know they’re going to fight. That’s all you can ask for.”
Belichick said Sunday that Jones will continue to be the Patriots’ starter. It would seemingly take a lot for Belichick to turn to Zappe or third-stringer Will Grier. But sitting Jones on Sunday showed that it’s at least closer to becoming a reality.
Gonzo’s injury
Rookie cornerback Christian Gonzalez suffered a separated shoulder late in the first quarter of Sunday’s loss to the
Cowboys, a source told The Athletic’s Jeff Howe. Gonzalez is “undergoing tests to determine further damage” and “is expected to miss some time,” per Howe.
ESPN’S Adam Schefter reported Monday that “Patriots’ first-round pick Christian Gonzalez and pass-rushing standout Matthew Judon both are out indefinitely while they seek second opinions on their injuries, per sources.”
Judon suffered a lower bicep tendon tear.
Gonzalez won the NFL’S Defensive Player of the Month honor for September. He was looking like a major draft hit after the Patriots used the 17th overall pick on him this spring.
Zappe’s reps
The Patriots are understandably not ready to reopen a quarterback battle one month after Jones decisively beat out Zappe for the starting role in training camp the preseason.
Still, Belichick was asked Monday morning if Zappe could receive firstteam reps in practice.
“I doubt anything would change significantly,” Belichick said. “But, we’ll talk about that. I don’t know. We haven’t gotten to that point yet.”
Belichick did praise Zappe’s preparedness on Monday.
“Bailey works hard,” Belichick said. “He’s in here early, stays late. He spends a lot of time looking at film, studying what we do, what our opponents do, and he prepares very well.”