re: Baseball Recruiting Discussion

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Junior college players are supposed to make an immediate impact and two that South Carolina signed for next baseball season got a little taste of what next year should be like. Spartanburg Methodist standouts Elliott Caldwell and Cody Mincey played in an exhibition game on Tuesday night at Carolina Stadium and both showed off for their future coaches.

With the South Carolina coaching staff in the stands watching their every move, Caldwell and Mincey showed off in their potential roles for the 2014 season. They were wearing their Pioneers jerseys but, this time next year, they’ll trade their blue for garnet.

Caldwell started at third base and hit cleanup in the order for SMC, which begins the Region X tournament this weekend as the conference’s top seed. He was 1-for-3 with a pair of walks and an RBI in the game but he also made a couple of highlight reel defensive plays at the hot corner.

“I’ve been playing well, especially the last month or so,” Caldwell said. “I got off to a slow start but the last month has been awesome. I feel like I’ve been doing a good job of being aggressive. I’m attacking pitches early in the count and doing a good job of not missing pitches.”

With current third baseman Chase Vergason set to graduate this year, the spot will be open for the 2014 season. Current freshman George Iskenderian has eyes on the position and he’ll certainly be in a heated position battle with Caldwell, who comes to Carolina with two years of at-bats at the college level under his belt.

“I just want to keep working on my swing and being consistent,” Caldwell said. “I don’t want to have a slow start next year like I did this year. I want to keep consistent going into the summer and in the fall. Hopefully once the spring gets here, I’ll be rolling.”

Mincey, a relief pitcher by trade, is the potential closer of the future for the Gamecocks. That role will be wide open as well given that senior Tyler Webb will take his game to the professional level after the season.

“It’s real exciting coming somewhere like this next year,” Mincey said, still standing on the dirt at Carolina Stadium. “Playing here tonight, it has set in that this is where I’m going to be next year. It was exciting to get out there and pitch in this stadium and I can’t wait to be here in a few months.”

Pitching coach Jerry Meyers had a chance to speak with his future right-handed arm after Tuesday night’s win and the message for him was simple. Mincey said that Meyers said the expectations for next year were to, “Come in, throw strikes, get outs, and pound the zone.”

That’s what Mincey was able to do to close out the 12-0 win over USC Lancaster registering the final two outs of the game.

“I feel like I’ve done alright this season. I’ve been throwing my fastball well and trying to spot it up,” Mincey said. “When I can do that, it makes my offspeed a lot more effective. I’ve been working on my location and trying to get ground balls. I’m trying to be more smooth, let the ball go, and throw some strikes.”

Tuesday night’s game in a Pioneers jersey was just a taste of what Caldwell and Mincey will experience next year. They were under the lights at Carolina Stadium but the colors were off and the crowd was a bit light. This time next year, the field will be the same but the stage will be bigger.


Other recruiting nuggets


-- We highlighted several players who plan to visit this weekend for the Vanderbilt series in this recruiting feature but there are a few more who plan to come visit this weekend. Class of 2013 right-handed pitcher Canaan Cropper (Salisbury, Md./James M. Bennett) and 2014 left-handed pitcher Alex Destino (Weaverville, N.C./North Buncombe) also plan to visit.

-- Class of 2014 right-handed pitcher commitment Brandon Murray (Hobart, Ind./Hobart) threw a no-hitter last week and followed it up on Tuesday night allowing three hits in a complete game shutout. He struck out 12 in his 91-pitch outing.

-- Class of 2015 right-handed pitcher commit Kaleb Bowman (Purcellville, Va./Woodgrove) threw a complete game and allowed two runs on seven hits in his team’s win on Tuesday night. He struck out 12 in the game. Bowman visited South Carolina for the Texas A&M series earlier this year.

-- Class of 2015 outfielder commit Kep Brown (Mount Pleasant/Wando) was 2-for-4 with a single and a home run on Tuesday night against West Florence. He hit a home run off of right-handed pitcher Akeem Bostick, who is projected to be drafted in the top 15 rounds of the MLB Draft this June. He’s signed to play for Georgia Southern.

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