Paul Finebaum considers whether Arkansas should have pitched Gage Wood in CWS opener

Gage Wood made history when he became the third pitcher to finish a game with a no-hitter at the College World Series on Monday. He would strike out 19 batters during the elimination game as Arkansas cruised to a 3-0 victory over Murray State.

Wood’s performance on the mound came at a time when the Razorbacks had their backs against the wall. Losing their CWS opener to LSU 4-1, Paul Finebaum questioned whether or not Arkansas head coach Dave Van Horn should have pitched Wood on Saturday instead.

“I must confess, I was thinking about that as I was watching the game,” Finebaum said during his show on the SEC Network. “Number one, two days ago, and now there’s a good chance we won’t see him again unless Arkansas makes it into the championship series. … I think in baseball, that’s the toughest decision to make. Especially in a tournament like this, if you pitch the guy and if you go with your best shot — you have to win that first game. When you’re trying to come from behind, the odds are insurmountable.”

Zach Root was given the nod for Arkansas in their first game in Omaha over the weekend — and it couldn’t have gone worse. He threw 38 pitches across 1.2 innings pitched and was pulled from the game after allowing three earned runs in the second inning.

Gabe Gaeckle came in and pitched 6.0 innings after the mishap. Having allowed three hits and one earned run across 90 pitches, he struck out 10 LSU batters during the matchup and saved the Razorbacks from using extra arms from their bullpen down the stretch. Arkansas ended up pitching four arms during the matchup and all but Gaeckle pitched less than two full innings.

Regardless, Wood was given the nod during Monday’s matchup and more than made the most of it. In the end, he finished his 119-pitch performance having allowed one runner reach base against 28 batters. He struck out eight of the 10 Racers who saw plate appearances at least twice.

“I’m watching it out of one corner of my eye while we’re doing the show and all I did was see him strike people out. The only thing I started getting worried about is how long will it be before he can pitch again. They’ve got a really good staff; so, they’re going to need him again at some point. They’ll have to keep winning which they look like they’re capable of. I think its the greatest performance in the modern college baseball era.”

Arkansas advances through to take on the winner of Monday’s nightcap between LSU and UCLA. That matchup will be another elimination game held on Tuesday night at 7 p.m. ET on ESPN.