Vanderbilt baseball aces Kumar Rocker and Jack Leiter are nearly unhittable

Whereas Jack Leiter and Kumar Rocker could be school baseball’s odd couple, the star pitchers have been winners at Vanderbilt from the get-go. In Leiter’s SEC debut earlier this yr, he threw a no-hitter. Throughout Rocker’s freshman season in 2019, he earned Faculty World Collection Most Excellent Participant honors whereas main the Commodores to the nationwide title. Oh yeah, he additionally threw a no-hitter alongside the best way.

“Rock and Leiter don’t look alike. They don’t pitch alike. They arrive from two completely different elements of the nation,” Vanderbilt head coach Tim Corbin says. “However they’ve a lot extra in frequent previous all of that. They each share a willingness to work, to be sensible and to pursue perfection as a part of the crew.”

Now, Leiter and Rocker look to punctuate the doubtless finish to their collegiate careers with a Faculty World Collection title, beginning Saturday in Omaha in opposition to Arizona (7 p.m. ET, ESPN and ESPN App). They want to assist the Commodores defend their nationwide title earlier than heading to the professionals subsequent month once they might grow to be the primary pitcher teammates to go within the high 5 of the MLB draft since UCLA’s Gerrit Cole and Trevor Bauer in 2011.

ESPN spoke to the aces themselves, their coaches and teammates to seek out out what makes them such a uncommon pair.

Regardless of being solely 6-foot-1, Leiter has thrived largely as a consequence of an influence fastball described as a “plus-plus pitch,” by ESPN draft knowledgeable Kiley McDaniel.

Simply ask South Carolina. In Leiter’s no-hitter in opposition to the Gamecocks, all 16 of his strikeouts got here on the fastball, in line with Vanderbilt catcher CJ Rodriguez.

What’s the key to the pitch’s success?

“Folks all the time ask concerning the rising motion my fastball has, and I feel that has rather a lot to do with my decrease launch level,” Leiter says. “The pulldown from that decrease level offers it that rising have an effect on.”

Thanks largely to that fastball, Leiter enters the Faculty World Collection as McDaniel’s No. 3 draft prospect.

When Rocker’s fastball is on, it explodes out of his body and turns into practically unattainable for many school hitters to sq. up.

This spring, his velocity has been inconsistent, averaging 95.4 mph in some early March outings and 91.4 in a late March begin, per McDaniel.

“It’s clearly an influence fastball that he can use in any rely, particularly with two strikes,” Rodriguez says.

Regardless of some late-season struggles, Rocker has proven the power to close down top-notch SEC competitors, as he did in wins in opposition to No. 3 Tennessee (seven shutout innings) and No. 7 Mississippi State (full recreation, one run) again in April.

If Leiter seems to be like he has all of it discovered on the mound, his fellow ace thinks there’s an excellent motive for that.

“On the mound, he’s very mature in a approach, as a result of, I imply, he is aware of all the things,” Rocker says.

With a father and uncle who each pitched within the majors, Leiter was all the time going to have an edge. However early on, his father didn’t need him to pitch — he needed him to play third base.

As soon as Jack confirmed an curiosity and aptitude for pitching, his father helped him with throw sure pitches and deal with the psychological facet of the sport.

“There’s only a piece of him that, there’s construction in his life,” Vandy head coach Tim Corbin says. “… He is aware of what he’s imagined to do. He’s the place he’s imagined to be. And when he will get on this atmosphere, it’s on.”

And now it’s on for Leiter and the Commodores as they give the impression of being to advance to a different Faculty World Collection and defend their nationwide championship.

Rocker might need gotten knocked round by No. 1 Arkansas within the SEC match (he allowed 4 hits, 4 walks and 5 earned runs in 3 1/3 innings), however that is the time of yr he dominates.

His no-hit effort in opposition to Duke in 2019 will go down as among the finest school video games ever pitched.

“Within the 17 years I’ve been right here, I don’t suppose I’ve seen something like that,” Corbin advised The Tennessean afterward.

It was one in every of a number of dominant performances down the stretch that helped the Commodores hoist the trophy.

That fireside hasn’t gone away as his collegiate profession winds down.

“The competitiveness is apparent,” Leiter says.