'Couldn't be more impressed': Tyler Pitzer shuts down Vanderbilt in first career start to complete series sweep
This was nothing new for Mark Kingston. He’s been in these spots before where he’s gone with his gut and trusted a young pitcher to get the job done.
He had done it before with guys like Will Sanders, Jack Mahoney and Matthew Becker when they were all freshmen. Giving them the ball when the lights were brightest. And now, he gave Tyler Pitzer a chance to show what he had.
“I think number one, you have to sign and recruit talented players that have the ability to do that. But then you also have to show confidence when you feel like they’re ready,” Kingston said. “And I think it’s really important that the coaches figure out the right time to give them their opportunities so that they are set up for success.”
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With a chance to sweep No. 3 Vanderbilt on Sunday, Kingston turned to Pitzer to make his first career start on the mound. The freshman right-hander had pitched well out of the bullpen. But this was a whole different beast.
“Pitzer has been really good out of the bullpen. And let’s see what he looks like as a starter,” Kingston said. “It was at home, so he didn’t have to make his first SEC start on the road. It was a chance to get him a start at home. And if it didn’t go well, then Becker would be in there early. And if it did go well, we thought we could get what we got today.”
The nerves were unsurprisingly high for Pitzer, who wanted to take advantage of the opportunity he was given. But once he retired the side in the first inning, it all felt normal to him again.
“It meant the world to me, seeing (Kingston) put trust in a freshman like me to go in there and finish the job on Vandy,” Pitzer said. “My big thing was take the advantage and do what I did with it. And I think I did that pretty well.”
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Pitzer did more than enough to give the Gamecocks a chance. He pitched 6.1 innings of two-run ball while striking out nine and walking one. His outing helped South Carolina power its way to a 10-2 win, completing the three-game sweep.
“Pitzer was outstanding. His poise was good, his stuff was good. He was competitive and looked like a veteran out there,” Kingston said. So I think he did everything you want to see out of a pitcher, no doubt about it. Nine strikeouts, one walk to a team hitting .330. Couldn’t be more impressed.”
The only blemish on his day was the seventh inning in which he gave up those two runs. But it was an otherwise picture perfect outing. And after pitching coach Matt Williams came out to take the ball from him, the Founders Park crowd saluted him like a hero with thunderous applause.
“The fan base here is ridiculous. They support everyone, no matter what’s going on,” Pitzer said. “And that ovation meant a lot after the outing I had, it meant a lot to me.”
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When Pitzer crossed the first-base line, all of his teammates came out of the dugout to congratulate him. And the first one to do so was the team’s ace, Eli Jones, who gave him a big hug.
“Eli, he’s a big captain on this team,” Pitzer said. “He runs a lot of the pitchers and supports them in the best way possible. And just getting that from him too, it meant a lot to me, as well.”
After Sunday, Pitzer lowered his ERA down to 0.48, which is now the best on the pitching staff. He’s now 4-0 on the year with a ridiculous 29 strikeouts to seven walks in 18.2 innings pitched.
While it’s just one outing, it’s safe to say he’s made the decision a lot easier for Kingston to name a third starter for next weekend’s series at Alabama.
“When we give the opportunities to guys, you want to see them run with it,” Kingston said. “And you saw an example today of a guy that really ran with it.”
