TCU’s Lodolo says he’s ready to pitch at CWS despite nearly a month off

TCU freshman left-hander Nick Lodolo says he feels fresh and would have no problem pitching in his first College World Series after more than three weeks off.

“Now you start to feel what you wake up for in the fall every single morning,” he said. “Coming here and finally getting to experience what you do it for is pretty special.”

Lodolo last pitched in a May 24 start against Kansas at the Big 12 tournament in Oklahoma City. He allowed three runs in seven innings and got a no-decision. He has started 14 games, appeared once in relief, and gone 5-1 with a 4.28 ERA, 69 strikeouts and 27 walks in 73.2 innings.

Coach Jim Schlossnagle said before the Super Regional round that he wanted to get Lodolo into a game, even in relief, to give him a taste of postseason.

Neither Lodolo nor Mitchell Traver pitched in the two-game sweep last week.

“When Mitchell and I didn’t get the chance to pitch last weekend, it means things are going well,” Lodolo said. “You can’t complain at all.”

Lodolo said he and Traver both came away confident after throwing a simulated game in Fort Worth on Tuesday.

“That was really big for us to see live hitters again,” Lodolo said. “It felt great.”

This story was originally published June 17, 2017 at 4:20 PM with the headline "TCU’s Lodolo says he’s ready to pitch at CWS despite nearly a month off."