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A Western Carolina baseball player caught the unluckiest of Ks when he struck out “swinging” during an at-bat vs. Wake Forest. The strikeout was the result of a bizarre check swing attempt that went as badly as can be imagined.
Demon Deacons pitcher Chase Burns toed the rubber Saturday afternoon with an arsenal that’s known for its electricity.
The righty can reach triple digits on the radar gun while also dropping in some disgusting off-speed options to mix things up. Last year, for example, he spontaneously worked a changeup into his array of pitches during the postseason.
The result? A nine-strikeout performance in NCAA Tournament play!
Chase Burns, Ridiculous K Sequence.
2 Sliders missed by like a foot or so…and then paints with 100mph. 😳
Gets the Chases and then Burns.
9Ks thru 4. pic.twitter.com/qKoXcp613w
— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) March 16, 2024
Chase Burns’ stuff is filthy, and he’s no stranger to inducing swings and misses.
On Saturday, though, he might’ve seen his best yet. Or at least the most bizarre!
Going back to his vicious slider, he looked to put a Western Carolina batter away with two strikes. He succeeded, forcing a check swing attempt that saw the hitter’s bat split in two!
Check it out.
The man is out here breaking bats 🫣#MTFY | #GoDeacs 🎩 pic.twitter.com/17vgYHQAYb
— Wake Forest Baseball (@WakeBaseball) May 4, 2024
The sheer force of the hitter attempting to stop his momentum appeared to be the cause as that delivery from Chase Burns was deceptive enough to make him offer.
Whether or not the batter’s wrists broke is unknown, but it would’ve been impossible not to ring him up after seeing the barrel of the bat sail 60 feet towards the mound.
The K was one of 13 recorded by Burns on the day as the Wake Forest baseball team cruised to a 9-2 victory. In maybe his most dominant performance of the season, the righty threw six hitless innings while allowing just two baserunners on a pair of walks.
Burns improved to 9-1 on the season while lowering his ERA to a 3.00 and adding to his strikeout total of 140 across 75 innings.