Vandy frosh K's 19 in Super Regional no-no
On Saturday night, Vanderbilt freshman right-hander Kumar Rocker turned in one of the most incredible pitching performances you'll see from any baseball player in 2019.
With the Commodores facing elimination in the NCAA Tournament, Rocker threw a 131-pitch, 19-strikeout no-hitter in a 3-0 win against Duke, striking out the final batter he faced to end it.
It was the first no-hitter ever in the NCAA Super Regionals. Rocker¡¯s gem forced a winner-take-all Game 3 between the two teams Sunday.
Rocker, who is the son of former NFL defensive lineman Tracy Rocker, was one of the top Draft prospects coming out of high school last year (ranked as the No. 23 overall Draft prospect for 2018 by MLB Pipeline). With his commitment to Vanderbilt, the Rockies took Rocker in the 38th round -- 1,146th overall -- and he headed to school.
Rocker's brilliant performance on Saturday caught the eye of one of Vanderbilt's most notable pitching alumni: David Price, who was drafted No. 1 overall out of Vanderbilt by the Rays in 2007.
Rocker¡¯s 19 strikeouts broke Price's Vanderbilt record for most strikeouts in an NCAA Tournament game (17, set during the 2007 tournament).
The MLB record for strikeouts in a no-hitter is 17 -- done by Max Scherzer for the Nationals against the Mets on Oct. 3, 2015, and by Nolan Ryan for the Angels against the Tigers on July 15, 1973.