LSU starting Thatcher Hurd for deciding CWS Final game

LSU right-handed pitcher Thatcher Hurd will start on the mound for the Tigers in Game 3 of the College World Series finals. The winner of the contest will hoist up the World Series trophy.

The sophomore pitcher is 7-2 this season, boasting a 5.97 ERA. Hurd most recently pitched against Wake Forest on June 22 to help boost LSU past the Demon Deacons. In the victory, Hurd gave up just one hit through three innings.

Yep, it’s Thatcher Hurd in the national championship’s deciding game. #LSU @LSUbaseball

— Jacques Doucet (@JacquesDoucet) June 26, 2023

Now, Hurd will take the mound again when the Tigers need him most. The California native has 77 strikeouts this season in 57 innings pitched. While Hurd won’t be on the mound the entire game, he will kick things off for LSU. Many LSU fans hope to see Tigers star Paul Skenes take over at some point in the game.

Skenes has thrown 243 pitches in two starts over the last 10 days, most recently holding the mound for eight innings against Wake Forest on June 22. Typically, the LSU coaching staff would force Skenes to rest for at least six days before pitching again. Nonetheless, fans are holding out hope.

Skenes doesn’t seem opposed to the idea. As the 6-foot-6 pitcher walked off LSU’s bus ahead of Game 2, ESPN’s Kris Budden asked him about his availability. Skenes gave LSU fans just what they were hoping for.

“He said, not today, maybe tomorrow,” Budden recalled.

Budden then asked Skenes how he could convince head coach Jay Johnson to let him pitch.

“I just look him in the eye and say, ‘I feel good.’”

Only time will tell how “good” Skenes is feeling. For now, LSU fans must put their hope in Hurd. LSU head coach Jay Johnson clearly has faith in him. It’s not the first time, Johnson has openly shown his trust in Hurd’s abilities.

“When you think about a one-run game, leaving the traffic there and getting himself reset, with that type of pitchability gives him the chance to be successful. He was successful tonight. That’s one of the best performances I’ve seen in a long time,” Johnson said about Hurd’s pitching performance against Oregon State on June 4.

The Tigers will need nothing short of excellence after giving up 24 runs to the Florida Gators yesterday, a CWS record. Watch Hurd take the mound in Game 3 at 7 p.m. ET. The game will be broadcast on ESPN.