Gill Hill returns to Bowling Green after pitching in World Baseball Classic

BOWLING GREEN, Ky. – Baseball is an international game with many countries represented across the minor and major leagues.

The biggest spectacle of international play recently wrapped up, and one Bowling Green Hot Rods pitcher had the chance to show off for his country.

“ Hearing [the fans] scream, I was like, wow, this is something that I didn’t think I would be in at this age,” Hot Rods pitcher Gary Gill Hill said. “It was kind of like a movie moment where your ears are waterlogged so you can’t really hear anyone yelling…it’s just different.”

Gary Gill Hill is the Tampa Bay Ray’s No. 26 prospect and has played the game his whole life, but international baseball was something on the bucket list for the righty from Walden, New York.

“Growing up, obviously, I was watching the Little League World Series and seeing other countries play, but when I was little, I didn’t think baseball is like well-known or that worldwide,” Gill Hill said.

Gill Hill, American-born and raised, was tied to Great Britain through his mother, who was born in Barbados, which at the time was under British authority.

Although he donned a different red, white, and blue jersey in the 2026 World Baseball Classic, Gill Hill was still excited to compete for a whole country on a big stage.

“I would say there was national pride, especially playing for a country that isn’t really known for baseball at all. Going out there and representing them meant a lot for me,” Gill Hill said.

Not only did Gill Hill pitch in two games for the British, but he was also credited with the team’s only victory of the tournament against Brazil.

That win guaranteed the country a spot in the 2030 WBC.

While he hopes to return to that spotlight in four short years, Gill Hill continues to work and rise to the Rays’ farm system in Bowling Green.

His time with the Hot Rods in 2026, although brief, has already resulted in two solid outings, much in part to the newfound confidence from playing with the best of the best in the World Baseball Classic.

“It makes me realize that I can compete with these guys and my stuff can play against them, and I’m just focused on trusting it,” Gill Hill said. “That’s all I have to do. Just trust it and throw it in locations I know I can do.”