'It was an honor to take the ball on Friday nights': Horns discuss premier pitching spot

Texas baseball coach David Pierce announced Wednesday that left-handed pitcher Lucas Gordon has been tabbed as the Longhorns' Friday starter this season.

Gordon is coming off a sophomore season in which he started 16 times and made 18 appearances. He compiled a 7-2 record with a 3.05 ERA. Over 85⅔ innings, he registered 77 strikeouts and issued 26 walks. Last month, he and fellow pitcher Tanner Witt were UT's two representatives on the Big 12's preseason team.

So what should Gordon expect going forward on Fridays? The American-Statesman asked Nolan Kingham, Bryce Elder, Ty Madden and Pete Hansen — Texas' four Friday starters Pierce has had since his hire ahead of the 2017 season — about the role.

Kingham was the Friday starter during Pierce's first two seasons. Elder had the job for 2019 and 2020. The past two years, Texas trotted out Madden and Hansen for those series-opening starts.

Elder, a fifth-round pick in the 2020 draft, made his MLB debut last year with the Atlanta Braves. Kingham (Atlanta), Madden (Detroit) and Hansen (St. Louis) all are working their way through the minor leagues.

What was it like being a part of that Friday tradition?

Kingham: It was an ultimate goal for any pitcher growing up and going to college, having it be at Texas was just the cherry on top. Texas was my dream school and I wanted to be the guy with the ball on Friday night.

Elder: I remember when I found out that I was starting that first Friday. I think you roll out there the first one of the weekend and kind of see how it goes. It means a lot to be able to do that and to be able to watch Ty and Pete do it in the years after is a lot of fun and I enjoyed it a lot.

Madden: It was awesome. It was an honor to take the ball on Friday nights, especially in front of these crowds.

Hansen: It's kind of something I really wanted. Seeing Ty, seeing Bryce, the guys before me, and just the respect that everyone gave to them and the respect that they earned. It wasn't something that was given, it was something that was earned. So that was always something I wanted. I tried to show up every single day with that Friday night mentality of "that's my job and I'm going to go get it." That's what I tried to do.

I tried to outwork everybody and just help those around me and I tried to make everyone around me better. I think that's what a Friday night starter does. It was just an honor to get that job and to rep those white uniforms on this mound on Friday nights was something special, something I'll never forget. I love being out here, I love competing and that's the best day to do it.

About the moment they were told they were Texas' Friday guys

Kingham: I just remember (Pierce) telling me that I’m going to be our guy and that he trusts me with the ball to start every series off right.

Elder: It was kind of a surprise for me because Blair (Henley), we all thought Blair was going to be the Friday guy. I came in, I had a good fall and a good spring and I remember when coach Pierce told me, I was kind of surprised, but I was excited about it and ready to go.

Madden: I remember being excited and ready to start the season. I think it was around the same time, like two weeks, three weeks before, it was during the intra-squad, he called me into the dugout and told me that I was getting the ball Friday night. I was ready to go, ready for the first night right then.

Hansen: I didn't really know if I was going to get it just because we obviously had the really good pitching staff coming back. I think Tristan (Stevens) or Tanner (Witt) could have gone out there on Friday nights and got the same exact thing; I think that was the staff that we had.

I didn't know what that meeting was all about, and Coach kind of just abruptly just told me right away, said you're going to get the ball and that was an emotion I'll never forget. It didn't seem real. It just meant something for the coach to entrust that to me. I think it was probably one of the happiest I've ever been.

How did you deal with the Friday pressure?

Kingham: There was no pressure at all. It was just doing what you always wanted to do and wanting to win. I don't think there was much pressure in our locker room as a whole while I was at Texas.

Elder: The guys that we did have from the time that I got here to the time I left (helped with the pressure). It was a lot of really good guys and so just going out every day and playing with them just like we do every other day regardless of its Friday or a Tuesday, go out and try to win.

Madden: You just have to think about the guys around here; the clubhouse we had the few years I was here was incredible. Those guys kind of take it off of you so we're just playing for each other. At the end of the day, we're playing a kid's game, so you've just got to remind yourself of that.

Hansen: We like to use the quote, "Pressure is a choice." I think that we all understood that we put in the work all offseason and leading up to that, and they say confidence is key and it is. I think not trying to do too much and not getting caught up in everything, just going out there and doing your thing, is the most important thing.

But at the end of the day, pressure is a choice and it's how you embody it. For me, it was something that I enjoyed. I love those big moments, I love making big pitches, it's something I enjoy doing. When you're passionate about something, it makes it that much easier.

Their all-time favorite Friday start

Kingham: Favorite start is tough. I’ll always remember my start at Stanford in 2017 (a 4-0 win for Texas on March 2, 2017). I think that was the start of a great career ahead of me.

Elder: Mine for sure was Friday night against LSU my sophomore year (an 8-1 win on March 1, 2019). They were No. 1 and we ended up sweeping them and just the whole weekend was awesome.

Madden: I think mine would be my second start in the World Series against Mississippi State (an 8-5 win on June 25, 2021). I was on like three days' rest, on 115 pitches a couple days before. We grinded that first inning, gave up a couple runs and then settled in and Ivan (Melendez) hit that homer to put us ahead in the rain delay, and that'll be a game I'll never forget.

Hansen: I think my favorite start was probably Oklahoma State in the Big 12 Tournament (a 4-0 win on May 25, 2022). I know it wasn't a Friday start here, but that was definitely my favorite, just getting those guys back and starting off the tournament in that way. My favorite (Friday start) here, got to be that TCU game (a 2-0 win on April 8, 2022). I had a bunch of family in town, so it just made that weekend and that night just that more special. Always good taking care of the Horned Frogs, especially in Austin, and winning here is unlike any other feeling.

What advice would you give Lucas Gordon for Fridays?

Kingham: I would say just go out and win; no one cares about what you did if you lose. Winning takes care of everything. Go out, have fun with your teammates and win. Winning is fun!

Elder: It's something me and Ty talk about a lot — if you could come back and do it over again. Like, you don't realize it when you're in the moment to play in front of this crowd and these people who really support you, it means a lot. For Lucas and them, they know what to do. They've just got to be prepared and I know they will be and they're going to go do it.

Madden: I talked to Lucas earlier and was just like, enjoy it. He was talking about how time flies fast and it feels like yesterday he was a freshman whenever it was my junior year. Just enjoy every moment. You're going to miss this. (Elder has) been in the big leagues and minor-league ball, like you can't beat this right here with the group of guys you have here, it's hard to beat.

Hansen: Obviously, have fun with it. That's the basic thing. That's what everyone always says. For him, it's going to be a lot of fun watching him. I knew from day one that kid was a competitor; I knew he had what it takes to take the mound Friday nights and be a great pitcher for this team. I'm excited to see what he's going to do, and I think he's got the big things ahead of him.

College Baseball Showdown

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Friday: Texas vs. Arkansas, 7 p.m.; Saturday: Texas vs. Missouri, 3 p.m.; Sunday: Texas vs. Vanderbilt, 10:30 a.m.

This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: Former Texas baseball pitchers discuss that Friday night starting job