South Carolina Baseball: Ranking the top-15 pitchers in Gamecock history
By Kevin Miller
South Carolina Baseball’s No. 15 Greatest Pitcher of All-Time:
John Taylor
John Taylor (2010-2011) shared a bullpen with Matt Price and Tyler Webb, and, frankly, things weren’t fair for opposing offenses. If they could somehow chase starters Michael Roth, Blake Cooper, Sam Dyson, Jay Brown, or Colby Holmes from games, Taylor and company were waiting to close the door.
A tough submariner, Taylor was a bullpen weapon for Ray Tanner’s back-to-back national championship teams in 2010 and 2011. He had a good 2010 season, but Taylor’s 2011 campaign was incredible as he pitched in an absurd program record 50 games and posted a 1.14 ERA and 1.01 WHIP.
Taylor was at his best in the College World Series in 2011. Against Virginia, Taylor pitched 4 1/3 innings of 1-hit, shutout baseball to help preserve a win. Then, in game one of the Championships Series, the knuckle dragger shut down the Florida Gators for two scoreless innings in the 1-run victory.
Taylor was only a Gamecock for two seasons because he started his career at junior college, but he left a massive mark, winning two championships in two seasons. After graduation, he had a brief Minor League Baseball career.