Christian Foutch's velocity continues to trend upwards
Arkansas sophomore right-handed pitcher Christian Foutch made an electric appearance to earn his first save of the season in Game 2 of Saturday's doubleheader against Florida at Baum-Walker Stadium in Fayetteville.
The 6-foot-3, 230-pound native of Littleton, Colorado, is known as a hard-thrower, but every single pitch he threw in his appearance against the Gators was at least 100 miles per hour. Yes, you read that right.
RECAP: Arkansas splits doubleheader, takes series over Florida
Foutch faced just one batter — Florida catcher Brody Donay — in the final at bat of the game, and all six pitches he threw touched triple digits, according to TrackMan data. He even hit 101 miles per hour on one of the pitches, and the final pitch that secured the strikeout and clinched the series was clocked in at 100 miles per hour.
"He’s got the most consistent velo I’ve seen, other than the guy from Baton Rouge (Paul Skenes) last year," Arkansas pitcher Brady Tygart said Saturday. "But, he blows our mind every single day because it looks so easy. I never play catch with him, I’ll never do that to myself because it’s scary. That’s what we expect from him every time."
It's easy to overlook Foutch's outing in the 6-5 win over Florida during the first half of the Saturday doubleheader, as he faced just the one batter and he was the third pitcher to see the mound in the top of the ninth for Arkansas. But the heat was real, and the flamethrower might've proved that he's ready to take the next step.
"We know he throws 98, 99 and then Will’s (Edmunson) like ‘Holt!'" Arkansas' Peyton Holt said Saturday. "Then I’m looking at the scoreboard and he’s telling me to look at the scoreboard and it’s like 101 and I’m like, ‘Wow, that’s different.’ Props to him, just keep going."
Foutch's splitter is what he's been known best for, but the sinker has developed into a strong pitch for him as well. Head coach Dave Van Horn mentioned earlier in the season that Foutch would likely throw the sinker more, and that's been the case at times, aside from the fastball barrage Saturday.
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"He can throw 100 miles an hour if he wants to," Van Horn said March 26 after an 11-0 win over Little Rock. "He’s got a little different pitch going and it’s got a little sink on it. You’ll probably see him more. He’s just been working on it. Threw it last week to some live hitters. Didn’t pitch this weekend. Threw it tonight. Still touched 98-99 tonight.
"Then he threw one about 96 and it had some sink on it. That’s the one I like, because that one is hard to square up. And then he’s got another one or two, but I think that could be the difference maker for him, and it might even be a career-maker for him if he can get that sinker going up with that velocity."
If Foutch can throw the way he did Saturday moving forward, he's going to record some big outs late in the season for Arkansas. He might not be a long-relief pitcher, but he could thrive in a short relief or closer role as long as he's pumping in that kind of heat.
WATCH: Van Horn, players postgame - Arkansas vs. Florida (Doubleheader)
Foutch averaged 97.5 miles per hour on the heater entering Saturday's outing, according to the ESPN2 broadcast, and that number is definitely up following the outing. He owns a 1.29 ERA across 14.0 innings pitched this season. Foutch has allowed two earned runs on 13 hits with four walks and 11 strikeouts.
Looking forward, the Razorbacks have a five-game week ahead of them with Missouri State coming to town Tuesday-Wednesday and a roadtrip to Kentucky from Friday-Sunday. First pitch Tuesday at Baum-Walker Stadium in Fayetteville is set for 6:30 p.m. CT on SEC Network+.