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5 things to know about Texas ace Lucas Gordon, including his constant improvement

caleb yum, austin american-statesman
·3 min read

Lucas Gordon will take the mound for Texas' first super regional game against Stanford on Saturday. Recently selected as the Big 12 pitcher of the year, his last appearance was last week vs. Louisiana, where the junior struck out eight batters on 83 pitches, giving up only one run.

Here's five things to know about Texas' ace.

An upward trajectory

Gordon's freshman year saw good, but not spectacular results from the Californian. He only pitched 21 2/3 innings, struck out 7.9 batters per nine innings and with finished with a 3.32 ERA.

His sophomore year saw him make slight strides. A massive leap in innings pitched - 85.2 in total - but he struck out 8.1 batters per nine innings and had a 3.05 ERA.

This year though? He's made a massive step forward after claiming responsibility as the ace. So far, he has pitched 95.1 innings, K'd 9.3 batters per nine innings and is sitting comfortably at a 2.45 ERA. Gordon keeps on getting better, and there is a good chance that he hasn't even reached his peak yet.

More: How to watch Texas vs. Stanford in NCAA super regionals: See schedule, channel listings

Early elbow struggles

Most pitchers will have elbow problems at some point in their career. It came early for Gordon, who had to have elbow surgery at the young age of 15.

"It was mentally challenging. I think that kind of prepared me for how mental life really is, not just just baseball," Gordon said.

A lot of hurlers are not the same after returning from the injury. Some become afraid of reinjury, while others are simply unable to return to the form that they previously had. However, that wasn't the case for Gordon.

Strong high school career

Gordon went to Notre Dame (not that one) High School in Sherman Oaks, a suburb of Los Angeles, California. There, he pitched and occasionally played first base. He collected a 5-1 record with a 1.39 ERA and 56 strikeouts in 45.1 innings, while also hitting for a .366 batting average with seven doubles and two triples.

His performance there earned him a spot on the 2019 USA 18U team, which won silver at the U-18 Baseball World Cup in Gijang, South Korea. In the gold medal game, Gordon got the start and allowed just one run on three hits and one walk over 5.2 innings of work.

Four pitch mix

Before the 2023 season, Gordon was working with a three pitch mix. He threw a fastball, a curveball and a change up but during the offseason, the pitcher added a slider to his arsenal.

“I just learned how to throw it in the summer, but I think in all the intrasquads that I threw and all the live batters that we threw, just throwing them in more uncomfortable counts is probably where I progressed the most,” Gordon said.

It's not the main reason for Gordon's dominant season, but his new pitch has definitely contributed.

Lucas "Izzo" Gordon

Apparently, Gordon is a Jay-Z enjoyer. He and fellow pitcher Lebarron Johnson Jr. have a pact to warm up at home games to the rapper's songs.

Gordon bumps "Izzo (H.O.V.A.)," while Johnson enjoys "Show Me What You Got." Both good choices, but I have to say Gordon wins this battle.

This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: 5 things to know about Texas pitcher Lucas Gordon