South Carolina baseball has had a lot of roster turnover in the 2023 offseason. Six Gamecocks from last year’s team, two incoming freshmen, and a new transfer portal addition were all lost to the 2023 MLB Draft, and several more players have exited the program through the transfer portal.
On the pitching end of things, six different Gamecocks who could have been on next year’s roster went in the draft, including 4 of the top-6 players on the 2023 team in terms of pitching starts (Jack Mahoney, Will Sanders, Noah Hall, and James Hicks) and a potential starter (Matt Duffy) who just committed to the Gamecocks via the transfer portal less than a month ago.
Over the weekend, the Gamecocks added a late class of 2023 commitment to help bolster the program’s pitching staff in the future.
After a crazy few weeks, I am proud to commit to the University of South Carolina and continue my baseball career here, at home.
— Jake McCoy (@jake_mccoy12) July 22, 2023
I want to thank God, my family, my coaches & friends who have helped and supported me in this journey.@GamecockBasebll @CoachKingUSC pic.twitter.com/XGJhTHK9jl
Jake McCoy, a left-handed pitcher with extremely high upside, committed to the Gamecocks. McCoy is a recent graduate of Catawba Ridge High School in Fort Mill, South Carolina and features a low-mid-90s fastball and a tough breaking ball. The 6’1″ lefty is ranked as the 500th-best prospect in the country according to Perfect Game.
McCoy recently decommitted from Wofford after a coaching change and reportedly turned down one of the largest free agent MLB contracts this year when he passed up a $250,000 deal.
The South Carolina baseball squad was in desperate need of pitching help from the left side as Matthew Becker is the only returning lefty with much experience on the mound. With McCoy being a southpaw, and his potential as a strikeout artist on the bump, he could be in line for a role as a true freshman in new pitching coach Matt Williams’ room.
McCoy will enroll in school and join the South Carolina baseball team this August, just in time to participate in fall workouts and practices.