'A hat-tipping performance': Casey Mize adds new pitch, fans 13 in SEC opener

'A hat-tipping performance': Casey Mize adds new pitch, fans 13 in SEC opener'A hat-tipping performance': Casey Mize adds new pitch, fans 13 in SEC opener

March 16, 2018

By Jeff Shearer
AuburnTigers.com

AUBURN, Ala. - Draped on a wire above the fence in right field, 13 K signs illustrated the story of another Casey Mize masterpiece.

One week after throwing a no-hitter, Mize equaled his career high with 13 strikeouts in Auburn's 4-1 win Friday against Texas A&M in the SEC opener at Plainsman Park.

"It was really good for our team," Mize said. "That's a really good A&M team we just played."

Mize pitched into the eighth inning, allowing one earned run on five hits with no walks. A gem by any definition, unless of course your previous start bordered on perfection.

"It was okay," Mize said. "There were some pitches that I really wasn't happy with. I made more mistakes this week than last week. I felt good. I just got a little tired at the end. Coach made the right move going to Calvin [Coker]. That guy is as steady as can be. He's locked down, so I was very confident handing the ball over to him."

Coker recorded the final five outs, earning his third save.

Mize struck out the side against the Aggies three times in the first five innings, improving his record to 5-0 while lowering his ERA to 1.93.

"I think these two outings his fastball has played up as well as I've seen in the three years of coaching him," Auburn coach Butch Thompson said. "Thirteen strikeouts against not a good offense, but arguably one of the best offenses in America. That's a hat-tipping performance."

Already an elite prospect before the season, Mize recently added a fourth pitch to his repertoire, a cut fastball he learned from student assistant coach Tyler Stovall, a former minor league pitcher who served as the holder on Auburn's football team the past four years.

"I really wanted to pick up that pitch because it allows my slider to play," said Mize, who said he has developed his slider and split changeup since arriving at Auburn. "I can throw in a slider at 83, 84 first pitch, then have a power cutter at the end of the at-bat to maybe strike guys out on. It also plays off the fastball. If I know a guy is really sitting fastball, I can throw him a cutter and it looks like a fastball and misses some barrel.

"I'm still working on it," Mize said. "It's still got a long way to go. If you would have told me a few months ago I was going to add a new pitch before the season, I would have said, `I doubt it.' I'm always trying to learn new things. You've got to stay ahead of the competition somehow. I've been pleasantly surprised by how quickly that's come along."

"Kind of like a wedding," Thompson said. "Something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue. He's got this cutter going now. He's got the staple of what's allowed him to really grow as a pitcher with that split-finger."

When Mize pitches, scouts from a majority of Major League teams are in attendance. Two MLB general managers visited Thompson in his office before the game.

"He's aware," Thompson said. "We're all aware. He got to see Keegan [Thompson] go through that process some last year. To this point in the season, he's handled it masterfully."

Not one to be content with his success, Mize continues to refine his arsenal, improving his command each season.

"There's a lot of adjustments that I needed to make," Mize said. "And I'm glad it's evolved into pretty good pitches now."

Jeff Shearer is a Senior Writer at AuburnTigers.com. Follow him on Twitter: Follow @jeff_shearer