re: Baseball Recruiting Discussion

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One of the top players in the Palmetto State became available in the late fall and the coaches at South Carolina were sure to make him a Gamecock. Class of 2013 outfielder Zack Madden (Charleston/Bishop England), ranked as the No. 11 player in the state by Diamond Prospects, chose to stay in state to play his college baseball on Sunday morning

Madden, formerly committed to College of Charleston, decided to open up his recruitment when the Cougars switched conferences. South Carolina, North Carolina State, and Clemson all showed interest in the 6-foot, 180-pounder but he decided to join the South Carolina program

Madden visited Columbia for a game during the Texas A&M series and spent time around the program. After a long conversation with head coach Chad Holbrook last week and several chats with recruiting coordinator Sammy Esposito, he decided to pull the trigger once the Gamecocks returned home from Florida.

“I felt it was in my best interest to decommit and explore other options. I waited on schools to see if there was interest around me and luckily there was,” Madden said of his decommitment from Charleston. “I fell in love with South Carolina. I like the facilities. I’ve played there a ton. I really like coach Holbrook and coach Esposito. They’re really easy to get along with.”

Once reopening his recruitment, Madden decided to take the process slower this time around and said he found the right fit with the Gamecocks. Both of his parents are LSU alums but Baton Rouge was too far from home to consider.

That’s good news for the Gamecocks, who will now bring in an outfielder with a lot of upside.

“I think the reasons schools like that recruit me is I’m a really aggressive player,” Madden said. “I’m hard-nosed, like to get on the bases and run around the bases. They think I’m a good hitter and fast. Coaches see that I’m really hard-working and you can’t be a good hitter without being a hard worker.”

Madden swings from the left side but is right-handed. At the plate, he’s hitting over .400 this season for Bishop England, which produced current designated hitter Brison Celek.

“I hit for average. I have a good bit of pop but I’m mostly an average hitter,” Madden said. “I’m not the type of player that is going to hit a bunch of home runs. I like to hit the ball the other way, like to hit the ball on the ground. Once I get on the ground, that’s where I do most of my damage.”

Madden grew up playing on the infield but made the transition into the outfield last summer for his showcase team, the Charleston-based Diamond Devils. He hit over .500 for the club in the World Wood Bat Association championships last year while playing the corner outfield positions.

For his high school team, Madden is playing centerfield this year.

“I’ve been kind of streaky offensively. Defensively, I am doing great,” Madden said of his high school performance this year. “I grew up not being an outfielder. This past summer, I started playing outfield. I was kind of hesitant. I realized it was a good position for me because I’m fast and I can track the baseball. It’s kind of a blessing in disguise I end up playing outfield. I’m getting better and learning a lot about the position.”

Insider Notes:

Class of 2013 outfielder Zack Madden decommitted from College of Charleston shortly before signing day back in November solely because he didn't want to play in the new conference. He was one of the key pieces of the CofC class and expected to come in and contribute immediately for the Cougars. He was the biggest defection of several that left.

When Madden opened it back up, South Carolina was very interested and began recruiting him heavily. Madden wanted to wait and see what programs would come along and he decided, even though it was very late, to take the process slowly.

As far as the kind of player he is, I had him described to me back in the late fall as someone a lot like Adam Matthews at the same stage. Very toolsy but still sort of raw. He hits with an open stance and hits a lot of line drives. I haven't gotten to see him play a lot of games but my hunch is that he'll strike out some early on during his college career.

He was at Pro Day, which I attended, and I noticed his swing and hitting tools. I didn't notice him much with the outfield arm. He's still pretty new to the outfield, so he probably has some work to do to build that up a little bit. He's a very good athlete. He's about a 6.7 runner, so he'll be able to get around the bases pretty well. I hope to get to a game and see him play as I've only seen him in a showcase setting.

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