Photo Courtesy of EKU Athletics

Former Mid-Prairie Golden Hawk ace Aidan Rath is enjoying a hot start to his redshirt sophomore season on the diamond. Rath, a member of the Eastern Kentucky University Colonels baseball team, has found a home in the bullpen at the NCAA Division I Level. In two appearances this year, he has worked three total innings, allowing no runs, one hit, striking out two and walking two on 42 pitches. The first of his two outings this year was an inning and a third against No. 6 in the country Vanderbilt where he surrendered just one hit and fanned a batter in a scoreless stint on the hill. He spoke this week with KCII Sports about the strikeout against the Commodores. He broke it down like this, “I started off with a fastball, it was away. Then I went back with another fastball. Then I threw a slider that I pulled pretty good because I was jacked up and I wanted the strikeout. Then I had to focus up for the next pitch. I executed it pretty good. It was a slider right on the outside. It’s pretty crazy that I struck out a Vanderbilt hitter!”

His second appearance came against Western Illinois, an inning and two thirds of hitless relief with a strikeout and two walks. EKU has a 2-14 record this season.