OMAHA, Neb. – A rainout Wednesday won’t change much for Kent State, but it did allow South Carolina to make a pitching change — one that shows how much respect the two-time defending national champions have for Kent State.
South Carolina will start left-handed staff ace Michael Roth (8-1, 2.60 ERA) in Thursday’s noon ET game. Freshman Jordan Montgomery had been Wednesday’s scheduled starter for the Gamecocks.
Kent State will go with sophomore Tyler Skulina, who’s far from the typical No. 3 starter. Skulina, a transfer from Virginia in his first season with Kent State’s program, is 11-2 and has tied the school record for wins in a season. He’s struck out 97 batters in 101.2 innings.
A ninth round pick earlier this month of the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, Roth started both the championship-clinching games of the 2010 and 2011 College World Series and last Saturday’s 2012 College World Series opener, a 5-3 win over Florida.
The winner of Thursday’s first game plays Arkansas at 9 p.m. ET Thursday.
MORE: What the rainout means for Kent State
