re: Baseball Recruiting Discussion

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-- Holbrook met with class of 2013 signee John Parke (Greenville/Greenville) and his family on Sunday afternoon to discuss the draft. The South Carolina coaching staff is busy educating the players expected to be drafted on the benefits of coming to college versus signing a professional contract. Holbrook has met with several of the signees so far and more are forthcoming. Parke is not a player who is expected to sign but he has top 10 round talent. If he’d sign for slot, he’d likely be taken somewhere between the fifth and eighth rounds. Slot money in that range of rounds is not nearly enough for Parke to sign, so he’s expected to be at South Carolina.

-- Along the same draft lines, optimism still remains high that right-handed pitcher signee Wil Crowe (Pigeon Forge, Tenn./Pigeon Forge) that he will enroll at South Carolina. Crowe could be a top four round type of pick but he wants first round type of money, which is something he’s unlikely to get this year.

As far as early impact players go in the 2013 class, there are more pitchers who should play an immediate role on next year’s team. Parke, Crowe, and right-hander Canaan Cropper (Dematha, Md./James M. Bennett) are the three who come to mind as far as freshman pitchers who are expected to enroll and should come in and be immediately ready to pitch. There aren’t many position players expected to make a big impact next year but there are definitely some pitchers who could throw big innings.

-- The staff found out this week that they have five spots to bring in players this summer. Baseball at South Carolina doesn’t work the same way as football as football can bring in everyone. The baseball program is limited in the amount of spots. Obviously, it’s not as big of a deal to bring in players early for baseball. The coaches have five spots to play with. Outfielder Brock Maxwell (Suwanee, Ga./Lambert) is certain to be one of them. The rest are pretty much set in stone but the staff is currently in the process of making those arrangements.

-- There’s not a whole lot going on in the world of recruiting right now as coaches are focused primarily on their team. Recruiting coordinator Sammy Esposito did spend Monday morning in Charleston catching a Diamond Devils game to see a few younger players. Summer ball gets started hot and heavy this upcoming weekend but South Carolina coaches will be involved in the Regional. Not a lot of recruiting information is expected until the season ends.

-- Class of 2014 left-handed pitcher target Devin Smeltzer committed to Florida Gulf Coast last week. He’s a player that South Carolina liked and offered but didn’t really push for late in the process.

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