Ty Floyd explains why he had such a successful outing in Game 1 of CWS finals

In the biggest game of his life, LSU starting pitcher Ty Floyd pitched maybe the best game of his career.

The junior right-hander earned the start for the Tigers in Game 1 of the Men’s College World Series against Florida. He threw 17 strikeouts, a Men’s College World Series finals record, and allowed only three runs over eight innings as LSU won the game 4-3 in the 11th inning.

“I felt good,” Floyd said after the game. “With as many people as were here tonight, the adrenaline felt good and stuff. I knew that throwing my fastball at the top of the zone, being able to mix in off-speed pitches enough to get them off was the biggest thing tonight.”

He finished the game with just five hits and three runs allowed over eight innings with the aforementioned 17 strikeouts. The previous record for strikeouts in the Men’s College World Series finals was 13 by Oklahoma pitcher Cade Horton in last year’s finals.

Floyd had not pitched more than five innings in over a month but said there wasn’t anything he changed that allowed him to go deeper into this game than others.

“I think it was just staying mentally strong about it and just knowing that my stuff is going to play,” Floyd said. “Just having confidence in myself and knowing what I do well.”

While Floyd pitched one of his best games of the year, it didn’t come without adversity. In the bottom of the sixth inning, Florida catcher BT Riopelle hit a solo homer for the Gators to go up 3-2.

Floyd, however, didn’t let the mistake get to him. He retired the next seven batters in a row with six strikeouts.

By the time he left the mound after the end of the eighth inning, Tommy White had already tied the game at 3.

“I knew my stuff was going to play,” Floyd said. “I know he put a really good swing on a fastball. You’ve got to tip your cap. But I knew that I’ve got a great offense behind me that’s going to back me up and get us back in the game.”

Floyd is the No. 87 overall recruit in MLB.com’s draft prospect rankings. That makes him the third-highest ranked LSU player eligible for the draft after Dylan Crews and Paul Skenes, who rank as the No. 1 and No. 2 players in the rankings.