RHP Joseph Gonzalez is Auburn's starter for game one in Omaha
Auburn has announced the pitching matchup for Game One in Omaha against Ole Miss, and they're going with sinkerballer Joseph Gonzalez. 7-3 on the season with a 2.95 ERA, "Gonzo" is known for keeping the ball down in the zone and inducing weak groundball contact, which plays well into the strength of this Auburn team and their defense's habit of "dominating the routine play". Gonzalez is a bit of an unknown quantity for Ole Miss - he missed the 2022 regular-season series with a blister on his throwing hand and only faced them in relief in 2021, going 1.1 innings with one hit and one run allowed.
Ole Miss is countering with RHP Dylan DeLucia, 6-2 with a 4.35 ERA. DeLucia, a junior transfer from Northwest Florida State in Niceville, FL, was elevated to the starting rotation after injuries decimated the Ole Miss rotation and has rounded into the ace of the staff. He's thrown 78.2 IP on the year, with 26 walks to 88 strikeouts. He's shown impressive depth on the season, throwing a complete game against Mississippi State on April 21st with eight strikeouts & two runs allowed, and has gone into the 7th inning on four separate occasions. He's also not afraid of high pitch counts, with seven outings of over 100 pitches and a high of 118 in a 7.2 IP outing against South Carolina on April 14th with only one run allowed in an eventual 9-1 Ole Miss victory.
Beginning to appear on MLB Draft boards, DeLucia features a big curveball with huge depth. He doesn't always control it well, leading to walks and barrels, but at it's best he can command it in the bottom of the zone and induces swings and misses. He has a fastball that sits in the low 90s and can touch 94, but it tends to be a "deadzone" fastball that is hittable if he's not deliberate with its placement. (A "deadzone" fastball is one that is neither low enough to induce groundballs when it's thrown towards the bottom of the zone nor high enough to cause pop flies and whiffs at the top of the zone). Despite these deficiencies, he's an accomplished pitcher with a track record of composure, sequencing, and pitchability.
Auburn takes on Ole Miss at 6PM Central on Saturday in game one of the College World Series in Omaha. The game is being broadcast on ESPN and the radio call, with Voice of the Tigers Andy Burcham and producer Brad Law, can be heard online at AuburnTigers.com and locally on 93.9 FM.
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