Whittaker helps FSU reach Omaha with ‘perfect’ ending to Super Regionals

He has thrown a lot of innings for Florida State in his career, and he has gotten a whole bunch of outs. But nothing has ever felt like it did on Saturday afternoon for Conner Whittaker.

The veteran right-hander, who fought back from a midseason injury just in the nick of time for the Seminoles, was one of the heroes in helping lead Florida State Baseball back to the College World Series.

And he was at the bottom of the celebratory dogpile on Saturday afternoon after recording the game-ending, Super Regional-clinching strikeout in a 10-8 win over UConn.

“It ended perfect,” Whittaker said. “It was awesome.”

As was he. When his team absolutely needed him most.

The junior from Sarasota came into Saturday’s game in the bottom of the ninth inning. With the game tied, one out and the winning run on second base.

He got a pop-up and a fly-out to end the inning.

Then Whittaker kept the hot-hitting Huskies scoreless in the 10th and 11th innings, too. And when James Tibbs launched a two-run homer in the top of the 12th inning to give Florida State a 10-8 lead, there was absolutely no doubt who was going back to the mound to get those final three outs.

“That was as good as he’s thrown,” FSU head coach Link Jarrett said of Whittaker. “Slider command. Feel. Down. The fast ball was down well today. Both sides of the plate. A couple of good change-ups. So, when you get to that with him was a decision we were trying to make as this game unfolded.

“Because there was a situation where if this doesn’t go well, you’re playing [Sunday].”

Well. They aren’t.

Thanks in large part to Whittaker, who would have been the presumed Game 3 starter had the Seminoles lost, but instead got to celebrate on the mound with his teammates after winning Game 2.

“I think in my previous years I’ve seen quite a bit and I’ve been in a lot of roles,” Whittaker said. “So, really for me, it doesn’t really matter to me. I just go out there and try to execute pitches and get outs. I was hot (ready) yesterday, I was hot today. So, I was ready to go. Got up around the seventh inning and moved around, was ready to go. Could feel the game out, how it was going.”

And when his team desperately needed to keep the Huskies from scoring, it was the right-hander who came through.

“That’s my roommate over there,” Tibbs said of Whittaker. “And he’s been my roommate for three years. And we’ve had just as many conversations about that, about these moments and how we wanted to be a part of the next Omaha team. Words can’t really describe how thankful I am.”

It was fitting that Whittaker, the veteran presence on this staff, was in the middle of the dogpile.

He began the year as the Sunday starter for Florida State and then missed almost two months with an injury. Over the last few weeks, he has been slowly brought back, ramping up his pitch count each time. And then on Saturday, with a trip to Omaha on the line, all that hard work in getting back on the mound paid off. For the Seminoles and for him.

In total, Whittaker threw 3 2/3 scoreless innings of relief. He allowed just one hit and struck out three in 49 pitches. And it was that last one — a swinging strike that prompted Whittaker to hurl his glove into the air and wait to hug catcher Jaxson West as he raced toward him — that he will absolutely never ever forget.

“I knew I needed to get back,” Whittaker said of his return from injury. “I love this university, these coaches, these players. My main goal was to get back. There really wasn’t another thought.”

Now there is: Omaha.

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