South Carolina Baseball: Ranking the top-15 pitchers in Gamecock history
By Kevin Miller
South Carolina Baseball’s No. 13 Greatest Pitcher of All-Time:
Scott Barber
Scott Barber (1998-2000) was far from elite as a full-time reliever in ’98 and ’99. He piled up the strikeout totals and generally kept his walks down, but hard contact was a problem for the South Carolina native. However, as a junior, Barber stepped into a new role.
The only pitcher of his kind in college baseball in 2000, Barber earned his way to be the team’s primary closer but also started for the Gamecocks in part of the conference schedule.In fact, there were multiple series in SEC play in which Barber earned a save and a win as a starting pitcher.
Barber tossed a complete game victory against Vanderbilt just three days after earning a save against Clemson and a complete game win over Wake Forest in the Regional just two days after earning a 2-inning save against Liberty. In one two-week stretch of play, Barber earned three saves, two wins as a starting pitcher, and pitched another 7-inning start in which USC won.
Barber finished the 2000 campaign with 15 saves and 9 victories, a mark that has not been matched since (and, likely, one that will never be matched). He was drafted in the 6th round by the Arizona Diamondbacks and spent five seasons in Minor League Baseball.