Vanderbilt's Kumar Rocker throws 19-strikeout no-hitter vs. Duke in NCAA super regionals

Tom Gatto

Vanderbilt's Kumar Rocker throws 19-strikeout no-hitter vs. Duke in NCAA super regionals image

Kumar Rocker looked like the calmest guy on the field after he did something historic Saturday night. He hid his emotions well.

The Vanderbilt freshman right-hander was stone-faced after completing a 19-strikeout no-hitter against Duke in an NCAA super regional elimination game in Nashville. It was the first no-no in the history of the super regionals, the (Nashville) Tennessean reported.

Two innings earlier, the Tennessean noted, he yelled toward the Duke dugout after the Blue Devils tried to disrupt Rocker's rhythm, similar to something LSU attempted in the SEC Tournament.

"I guess Duke caught on and they tried it," Rocker told the Tennessean. "And I don't mind because it backfired."

Rocker's 131-pitch performance kept the Commodores alive in the best-of-three series. The schools will meet Sunday with a trip to the College World Series in Omaha, Neb., on the line.

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Rocker put himself in exclusive company with the no-hitter, a group that includes former Vandy star David Price.

Price, who won his start Saturday night for the Red Sox, shouted out Rocker on Twitter.

Per the Tennessean, Rocker was the No. 2-rated pitcher in the 2018 MLB Draft according to MLB.com, but he was set on attending Vanderbilt out of North Oconee High School in Bogart, Ga. He wasn't taken until the 38th round by the Rockies.

This article has been updated with additional details.

Tom Gatto

Tom Gatto Photo

Tom Gatto joined The Sporting News as a senior editor in 2000 after 12 years at The Herald-News in Passaic, N.J., where he served in a variety of roles including sports editor, and a brief spell at APBNews.com in New York, where he worked as a syndication editor. He is a 1986 graduate of the University of South Carolina.