By Nathan Rode
National Supervisor

KNOXVILLE, TN—With a couple dozen scouts behind the plate and thunderstorms looming, RHP Spencer Strider (Christian Academy of Knoxville, TN) took the mound for his first home start of the year. Like he did in Florida last week, the Clemson recruit pounded the strike zone and struck out 18 in a shutout.

Strider has a strong frame at 6-foot-1, 210 pounds and came out sitting 94-96 mph in the first inning and struck out the side. He flashed some sharpness to his slider at 80-81, but it was inconsistent early in the outing as it was slurvy and lacking bite. By the end of the game, he found some feel for it and got swings and misses with it at 78-79.

Strider’s fastball ranged from 90-95 through four innings and sat 90-93 to the end. His fastball has heavy life and he kept it down in the zone early. He was perfect through three innings, losing it on a jam shot to the right side that the second baseman nearly made a diving catch on. Strider also showed his athleticism by fielding his position well, getting off the mound quickly and making strong throws.

In seven innings, Strider threw 92 pitches, 72 for strikes, and allowed just one hit and two walks.

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