David Pierce says Stanford's Quinn Mathews succeeded thanks to changeup

Sometimes there’s nothing to do but tip your cap. Texas head coach David Pierce did just that toward Stanford pitcher Quinn Mathews following Stanford’s 8-3 win over Texas on Sunday.

In the Game 2 victory, Mathews threw a full game. The 6-foot-5 senior recorded 16 strikeouts on a career-high 156 pitches. With 152 total strikeouts this season, Mathews ranks second in the nation, only trailing LSU’s Paul Skenes.

Pierce had nothing but good things to say about the left-handed pitcher following Texas’ loss on Sunday.

“The changeup. I mean, he did an excellent job. The kid can really pitch and he’s tough and he’s aggressive. But he just was really good with the changeup. It probably took us three rounds before we really started getting him elevated a little bit more but, you know, early on we was chasing it down away, and he’s tough. So, we just got to bounce back. We’ve got a big game tomorrow,” Pierce said.

This was a masterclass from Quinn Mathews and there wasn’t much more to it. Look at these two-strike pitches. The sequencing and execution was phenomenal all night. pic.twitter.com/h0gzbiLtT7

— Aaron Little (@AaronLittleOB) June 12, 2023

While Mathews’ changeup was the thorn in the Longhorns’ side, it certainly isn’t his only weapon. With a full arsenal, Mathews brought home the 2023 Pac-12 Pitcher of the Year Award. The California native gave up just eight hits to the Longhorns in Stanford’s win.

Stanford desperately needed Mathews’ performance. The Trees’ backs were against the wall after dropping Game 1 to Texas 7-5 on Saturday. Mathews didn’t mind the pressure.

“I told them I was good to go. It wasn’t like they were going to try to take the rock out of my hand,” Mathews said after the win. “Honestly, we’re just looking forward to tomorrow, and I’ll probably be hot if needed. So, I’ll try to convince them to [let me] pitch tomorrow.”

“I told’em I was good to go, and they weren’t going to get the rock out of my hand”

– Quinn Mathews after throwing 156 pitches#RoadToOmaha x @StanfordBSB pic.twitter.com/KudzcWaCyc

— NCAA Baseball (@NCAABaseball) June 12, 2023

Fat chance. Nonetheless, quotes like that are what have MLB scouts drooling over the west-coast superstar. The Tampa Bay Rays actually drafted Mathews in the 19th round of the 2022 MLB Draft but he elected to return to Stanford.

Mathews is currently listed as 119th on MLB.com’s draft prospect board. If Stanford can find a win tonight and Mathews get to pitch again, that stock will only go up.

Unfortunately for Mathews, the Longhorns don’t plan on bending the knee. Watch as Stanford takes on Texas in Game 3 of Super Regionals at 7 p.m. CT. Winner will advance to the Men’s College World Series. The game will be broadcast on ESPN.