April 12, 2018
DALLAS - In the same week as being named to the USA Baseball Golden Spikes Award midseason watch list for the second straight season, junior right-hander Casey Mize has been tabbed the National Pitcher of the Month by the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association (NCBWA).
In five starts during the month of March, Mize went 4-0 with a 1.75 ERA and turned in the ninth no-hitter in program history. In 36.0 innings pitched, he struck out 54 batters and walked just one while holding opponents to a .133 batting average against.
Mize took the mound on Friday, Mar. 9 vs. Northeastern and no-hit the visiting Huskies while striking out a career-high 13 batters. His 13 strikeouts were the most by an Auburn pitcher since 2012, and the no-hitter was the Tigers' first since 2002.
The 6-foot-3, 220-pound right-hander went out a week later and matched his career-high with 13 strikeouts in the SEC opener vs. Texas A&M before going on the road and striking out 12 at Kentucky. His 38 strikeouts during the three starts were the most in a three-game stretch in the Stat Crew era (1993).
The Springville, Ala., native is 6-1 with a 2.17 ERA through eight starts this season. He not only leads the Southeastern Conference with 77 strikeouts, but also leads the nation with a 19.25 strikeout-to-walk ratio and ranks second in the country in WHIP (0.67). Dating back to last season, Mize has struck out 186 batters and issued 13 walks in 137.2 innings of work.
Mize and the No. 21 Tigers (23-11, 4-8 SEC) continue their daunting stretch of SEC play with a three-game series against Mississippi State (18-16, 4-8 SEC) beginning Friday at 7:30 p.m. CT on SEC Network.