Justin Murphy is in first year with Gateway and as a professional in 2018.

A right-hander out of North Callaway High School in Kingdom City, Missouri, Murphy played his college baseball at Mineral Area College and Southeast Missouri State University. In two years as a Redhawk, in the extraordinarily hitter-friendly Ohio Valley Conference, Murphy posted an 11-5 record with a very strong 4.11 ERA in 43 games (15 starts). He struck out 77 and walked 34 in 131 career innings.

For perspective, Jacksonville State led the OVC in team ERA in 2017 ... with a 5.11 mark.

As a full-time reliever in 2016, Murphy's 2.97 ERA ranked fourth in the conference among qualified relief pitchers (min. 30 innings pitched).

Murphy shares his alma mater, Southeast Missouri, with Grizzlies manager Phil Warren and assistant coach Darin Kinsolving, both of whom were inducted into the SEMO Athletics Hall of Fame with their 1998 Redhawks baseball team — the first in Southeast Missouri history to win the Ohio Valley Conference and advance to an NCAA regional.