If you wanted to know what kind of start Texas right-handed pitcher Ty Madden had against Houston on Friday night, one just needs to let Cougars head coach Todd Whitting do the talking.

“That’s about as good of an outing as I’ve seen in a long, long time,” Whitting said. “I was just watching him pitch, and he reminded me a little of watching Stephen Strasburg when he was at San Diego State with that fastball straight downhill. He was throwing that breaking ball effectively in and out of the zone all night, too.

“He just pounded the zone all night. You just have to tip your hat to him a little bit.”

In our first look at Madden this season Opening Weekend against Mississippi State, his performance certainly was not Strasburg-ian. He allowed four runs on four hits in four innings. And though the fastball was electric and up to 98 mph at times, the secondary stuff left something to be desired.

Perhaps that was kind of a wakeup call for the steady and supremely talented Longhorns righthander, because he’s been outstanding since that start against MSU.

Last weekend against BYU, Madden got back to business, striking out what used to be a career high 11 batters, while walking just one and allowing just one hit in seven innings.

He was really good in that start.

Somehow, he was even better against a better team in a complete game performance, 1-0 victory Friday night.

“I thought Ty Madden was incredible tonight,” Texas coach David Pierce said. “He pitched off his fastball and I thought he pitched with total conviction. He prepares year around for nights like this one. What a performance he put together for us.”

Madden, who retired the final seven batters he faced against the Cougars, dazzled scouts and fans alike in the ninth inning with a 1-2-3 frame that included a fastball — even over the 100-pitch mark — that touched 96-97 mph, with some radar guns even getting 98 mph on the offering.

It was a brilliant end to a masterpiece of a performance.

But the foundation for this type of start was set much earlier in the contest.

Madden knew he needed to pitch well early in this one. Houston lefthanded pitcher Robert Gasser was matching him with zeroes in the first few innings. Gasser, who surprised some in attendance with a fastball up to 94-95 mph — he sat in the 90-93 mph range later in the game — had some iffy command at times, but he was a hard-nosed lefthander who attacked the Longhorns offense with a fastball that was well located on the outside part of the plate to righthanded hitters, while he showed a slider at 81-82 mph, a changeup at 83-87 mph and a true 12-5 curveball at 76-78 mph later in the game. Every time Gasser needed to make a pitch to get out of a jam, he made it. And he put together a strong start, striking out five batters, walking two and allowing four hits in seven shutout innings.

“That’s two weeks in a row that Gasser was very good, and that’s why he’s pitching for us on Friday nights,” Whitting said. “He’s tough as nails and that fastball has great life working away from righthanded hitters. He pitched good enough to win, and we should win a bunch of games if he keeps pitching like that.”

He’ll also win a lot more games if he doesn’t have a guy like Madden manning the other team’s mound.

You knew Madden was in for a good night in the first inning.

Madden allowed a runner to reach base in the first. But he was poised and seem totally dialed in. He finished out the first inning with a pair of strikeouts and was showing pure gas with the fastball, getting up to 97-98 mph with the offering with a spin rate approaching 2740 at times.

Madden proceeded to retire eight-straight UH hitters from the first inning on. And in the fourth, even though the Cougars got the leadoff hitter on base, he avoided that frame with no damage and ended it with a strikeout. His fifth inning of work was his most impressive, as he struck out the side with an 86 mph changeup and a pair of fastballs at 95 and 97 mph, respectively.

Madden’s fastball has always been a weapon, and that was no different tonight. He attacks hitters with the offering at a tough downhill angle, and it’s especially difficult to hit when he has life on it like he did tonight. However, the biggest key for Madden versus his earlier start against Mississippi State was his ability to locate and show premium stuff with the secondary offerings, particularly the slider. Madden’s slider was very good against the Cougars, showing a spin rate around 2500-2700 at times. The breaking ball had two different shapes — one a bit more typical of a slider and another tighter in nature. Both were terrific offerings against the Cougars.

Ty Madden ⛽️
14th K pic.twitter.com/r0utiS46Yj

— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) March 6, 2021

“The slider — that was the difference for him,” Whitting said about Madden’s start. “You think all right all you have to do is go out there and sit on the fastball, then he drops in that slider, and he threw it for a strike enough to where when he buried it in the dirt, we swung at it.

“I’ll tell you what, too, he elevates that fastball,” he added. “He can really command it and elevate the fastball, then he comes back with that slider buried in the dirt. It’s pretty tough.”

Overall, Madden finished the night with another career high in strikeouts with 14. He walked just two UH hitters and allowed two hits in the complete game performance, while also throwing 110 pitches — 79 of those pitches for strikes.

For the past year or so, everyone has always believed in Ty Madden’s fastball. Now, after two-straight outstanding performances, and tonight, showing a filthy slider, perhaps there are now almost as many believers in the secondary stuff for the premier righty.
It was indeed a masterpiece.

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