Hagerstown ace Eddy Demurias named Atlantic League Pitcher of the Month

Eddy Demurias spent June carving through Atlantic League lineups, and the numbers left little room for debate. The Hagerstown right-hander was named the league’s Pitcher of the Month on July 6 after going 3-0 in five starts with a 3.44 ERA, 34 innings, 36 strikeouts and only six walks.

What made the month stand out was not just the run prevention, but the consistency behind it. Demurias tied for the league lead in strikeouts in June and posted a 9.53 strikeouts-per-nine-innings rate while holding opposing hitters to a .211 average. He never walked more than two batters in any outing, a sign that his command stayed intact even as the workload piled up.

The best snapshot of his month came on June 17 against Charleston, when he struck out a season-high 11 batters and left with a lead before the Dirty Birds rallied late to win 7-6. Demurias still delivered wins over Staten Island on June 11 and Lexington on June 23 and June 28, turning every other start into a chance for Hagerstown to control the game from the mound. That is the kind of five-start stretch that steadies a rotation because it does more than pile up highlights: it gives the bullpen predictable innings and keeps the club in front of the scoreboard more often than not.

The timing of the award mattered, too. Hagerstown clinched the Atlantic League North Division first-half title and the franchise’s first playoff berth on June 27, with Demurias’ June run helping drive the push. The Atlantic League said Hagerstown and Southern Maryland won their first-half races, and the Division Championship Series is scheduled to begin on September 15.

Demurias’ path to that spot runs from Miami, where he was born on August 1, 1997, to the University of South Carolina and into the Cincinnati Reds system, which drafted him in the 27th round in 2018, 799th overall. MiLB lists him at 6-foot and 184 pounds, right-handed, and Hagerstown said he arrived after spending 2025 with the Charleston Dirty Birds. June looked less like a surprise than a reminder that his arm has been built for this level all along, and Hagerstown is already leaning on that stability as the second half begins.