Sports

POV Video Of 101 MPH Fastball, Filthy Slider Shows Impossible Task Of Hitting Against Chase Burns

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A baseball on the pitching rubber.

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Wake Forest pitcher Chase Burns has some of the filthiest stuff in college baseball, and that showed this weekend when he made his first start of the 2024 season against Illinois.

He’d dominate in his Demon Deacons debut, throwing six scoreless innings while striking out 10 Illini batters.

Burns is a known commodity after spending his first two seasons in the SEC at Tennessee. He helped the Vols win an NCAA-high 57 games as a freshman before leading the team to the College World Series as a sophomore.

The flamethrower has the ability to touch triple digits on the radar gun, making his off-speed deliveries almost impossible to make contact with from a hitter’s perspective.

A POV video from the batter’s box successfully captured that difficulty, overlaying Burns’ fastball velocity and trajectory atop that of his slider.

Coming out of his hand, the pitches look near identical. Upon arriving to the plate, however, you’ll see they end up in very different locations.

That four-seam heater continues to rise, with the righty hitting 101 MPH on the radar gun in that Wake Forest debut. The slider, meanwhile, breaks down and out to right-handed hitters while still entering the zone in the low 90s.

How can you make contact?!

Not many did in Burns’ first start as he induced 20 swings and misses while allowing just three hits on the day.

Wake Forest won that matchup to improve to 2-0 on the season, and it seems the Deacs are happy to have him in Winston-Salem.

Wake Forest threw a jab at Chase Burns’ former school after the win.

After seeing that impressive first start in a Demon Deacons uniform, his new school decided to throw some shade has his old one.

The subtle jab revolved around the different methods of usage between the programs.

Burns struggled in a starting role with Tennessee as a sophomore, leading to a move to the bullpen. While he thrived in relief, that midseason shift in job duties might’ve played a part in his transfer decision.

While the Vols believed it in their best interest to keep the righty in the pen, Wake Forest obviously has faith in his abilities as a starter. They’ve set out to change the narrative surrounding their new stud.

It was an impressive debut for the pitcher in his Demon Deacons pinstripes. If he continues to produce in his starting role, he’ll only solidify his stock as a first-round MLB Draft pick.