MUSKEGON – One of the most popular promotions at Muskegon Clippers home games is the “Chick-Fil-A K” watch.

Every time a Clippers pitcher strikes out a batter, one of the players posts an updated number on a sign near the team dugout, and the fans keep an eye on it.

If Clippers pitchers combine to reach 10 K’s in any game, every fan in attendance gets a Chick-Fil-A coupon for a free chicken sandwich.

The Clippers have been strong in that area this season. They are currently second in the 14-team Great Lakes Summer Collegiate League in strikeouts, and going into Tuesday’s game were averaging exactly 10 K’s per game through seven games.

Mona Shores graduate Connor Vallie, a second-year Clipper, has done his part to add to that total in two appearances this season.

Muskegon Clippers relief pitcher Conner Valllie

Vallie, a reliever, made his first appearance last Sunday, taking the mound in the ninth inning of a 7-1 win over Royal Oak. He struck out three batters and allowed one hit and no runs.

He made his second appearance on Tuesday in a 9-3 road loss to the Sandusky Ice Haulers. He pitched two innings, struck out three more battlers, and again allowed one hit and no runs.

He said his two impressive outings have given him a lot of confidence for the rest of the season, and made him think about possibly developing into a closer or late-inning specialist.

“Those games definitely helped,” said Vallie, who will join his teammates in a three-game home series this weekend against the Michigan Monarchs. “They got my confidence up. Hopefully it goes like that the rest of the summer.”

Vallie says he loves helping the team reach the strikeout goal to help fans win their free chicken sandwiches.

Vallie winds up to deliver a pitch in a home game at Marsh Field. Photo/Dan Gawkowski

“It’s a fun way to keep fans involved,” he said. “It’s not necessarily an incentive to throw more strikeouts. You don’t want to go out there trying to strike everyone out. That doesn’t work well. But when you get them (and add to the total), it gets you going a little bit.”

Clippers first-year pitching coach Dion Felger didn’t know much about Vallie when the season started last week, but he likes what he’s seen so far.

“He’s actually been very good in the role we’ve given him,”  Felger said. “He takes the ball and pounds the strike zone. He has a fastball, slider and changeup, and he can throw any of them on any count and he’s going to be near the strike zone. I have no problem calling any of those pitches for him to get a strikeout on. His slider has been his best pitch so far.”

Vallie said his slider is a pitch he started developing in high school, and it’s working very well as a batter elimination pitch.

“It moves laterally, side-to-side, about 8 to 10 inches,” Vallie said. “It has a late break when it’s on. Early in counts I’ll throw it in the strike zone. When there are two strikes I will try to get it out and down to get a swing and miss.”

Vallie graduated from Mona Shores in 2019 and committed to play baseball at Davenport University. There was no baseball in 2020 due to COVID, and he spent the 2021 collegiate season as a redshirt freshman at Davenport.

A Clippers player updates the Chick-Fil-A strikeout sign during a recent game. Photo/Steve Gunn

This spring, in his first active season of college baseball, he started seeing some action.

“I only threw in midweek games this season, so I didn’t have any varsity innings,” Vallie said. “But I was pitching every week, and I did pretty good.”

Vallie returned to the Clippers this summer hoping to see a lot of action on the mound after posting a 2-3 record with two saves and 32 strikeouts in 15 games last season.

But with 18 pitchers on the roster, everyone has to wait for their turn, and it helps to be impressive when the opportunity comes. Vallies’ two good outings so far means he could be called upon in more in late-inning situations, if he keeps doing well.

“He will probably have more opportunities as the season goes on,” Felger said.

Vallie was a standout starting pitcher at Mona Shores, where he played three full years of varsity. He was converted to relief at Davenport and admits it took a little while to adjust to the new role.

Vallie in his Davenport University photo. He saw his first college baseball action this spring, after redshirting in 2021.

The big difference, of course, is that starters know exactly what games they will pitch in, while relievers have to be ready to pitch in every game, because they never know when they will get the call.

“I’ve come to like it,” Vallie said. “I wasn’t a big fan at first because it was different, and I was used to starting. It didn’t take long to get used to it. My arm typically bounces back pretty quickly.”

Vallie is in a good situation as a summer collegiate baseball player. While most players have to go far from home to find a summer team, Vallie was recruited by the Clippers, so he gets to spend the warm weather months living at home and playing down the road.

The situation also works well for his parents, Bill and Jenn Vallie, who get to see him play a lot of games in the summer.

“I like it a lot,” he said. “It’s really convenient for me. I’m 10 minutes away from the field, and I get to live at my actual home.”

As the only Clippers player from Muskegon County, Vallie gets a lot of questions from teammates about the town.

“A lot of guys ask me what there is to do, if this place or that place is fun, or if a restaurant is good,” he said. “I don’t mind it. I like helping people out.”