Tennessee is going from having to face the nation’s leader in strikeouts to the pitcher who is second in that category.
After striking out 12 times against LSU’s 6-foot-6, 247-pound Paul Skenes during Saturday night’s 6-3 loss to the Tigers in the opening round of the College World Series, the Volunteers are now preparing for Stanford left-handed talent Quinn Mathews. While Skenes has compiled 200 strikeouts this season, collecting 24 of them in two performances against Tennessee, the 6-5, 188-pound Mathews has tallied 152.
“Obviously strikeouts aren’t good, but let’s be realistic,” Tennessee designated hitter Griffin Merritt said late Saturday night in a news conference. “That guy is probably going to break the all-time strikeout record for a single season, so there is some give and take with that. We’re just going to get back into our prep work and get ready for Stanford.
“Mathews is a good arm, too, and he’s somebody else we’ve got to prepare for.”
Monday’s elimination game between the Vols (43-21) and Cardinal (44-19) has a 2 p.m. start and will be televised by ESPN. Stanford is the designated home team.