AUSTIN (KXAN) — Former Round Rock Dragons ace Travis Sykora helped the Single-A Fredericksburg Nationals do something they’ve never done before.
Sykora threw six perfect innings to propel the FredNats to the franchise’s first nine-inning no-hitter Aug. 9. Sykora mowed down 10 hitters in a 7-1 win over the Carolina Mudcats in the Carolina League.
Sykora has been unhittable in his past two starts, going 11 innings with 18 strikeouts against only one walk. He’s lowered his ERA to 2.42 and he’s allowing opponents to hit .151, helping the FreNats to a league-leading 26-16 record in the second half of the season.
Sykora is 3-3 with 96 strikeouts in 63 1/3 innings this season with a 0.85 WHIP in 15 starts. He was the third-round pick (No. 71 overall) of the Nationals in the 2023 MLB First-Year Player Draft. He verbally committed to play for the Texas Longhorns, but the Nats offered him a $2.6 million signing bonus which he signed.
The performance helped shoot Sykora up the Nationals’ prospect rankings to No. 12, according to MLB Pipeline. He was named the Carolina League’s pitcher of the week for July 28-Aug. 4. He’s been with the FredNats since May 1.