Top draft prospect Jack Leiter pitched a nine-inning no-hitter with 16 strikeouts for Vanderbilt on Saturday, retiring his final 27 batters.
Leiter, the son of 19-year big league pitcher Al Leiter, walked Braylen Wimmer to lead off the game but was perfect the rest of the way in a 5-0 victory over South Carolina. He struck out Wimmer swinging at a 96 mph fastball to end the game, his 124th pitch.
The 20-year-old sophomore was swarmed by teammates after the final pitch. The right-hander improved to 5-0 with a 0.31 ERA in five starts.
Leiter's no-hitter was the first for Vanderbilt since teammate Kumar Rocker dominated Duke as a freshman in the 2019 Super Regionals. Rocker and Leiter are considered the top pitching prospects for Major League Baseball's 2021 draft. Rocker struck out 14 Gamecocks in a 3-2 win Friday night and has an 0.58 ERA.
The Pittsburgh Pirates have the first pick in this summer's draft, followed by the Texas Rangers, Detroit Tigers and Boston Red Sox.
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