South Carolina baseball fans are full of optimism heading into fall practice. The Gamecocks were very aggressive in the transfer portal this summer, adding some big-time talent to the roster. Mark Kingston and his staff also signed a high school recruiting class that contains some intriguing players who could contribute as soon as this coming spring.
The future classes of committed recruits have fans excited, as well. In recent months, several additions have been made to the classes of 2025 and 2026, some of which have come from right under the nose of the rival Clemson Tigers in the Upstate of South Carolina.
However, the class of 2025 got a little smaller on Tuesday when one of its long-standing commitments elected to go back on his pledge to the Gamecocks.
— Micah Matthews (@micahmatthews22) September 19, 2023
Micah Matthews, a 2-sport athlete from the state of Virginia, had been committed to the South Carolina baseball program for several years, but on Tuesday, he backed off of his pledge from the Gamecocks due to his desire to play football at the college level.
South Carolina football has not offered the wide receiver/defensive back prospect a scholarship.
On the diamond, Matthews is a third baseman and outfield prospect who possesses exceptional athleticism and speed/power potential.
On the gridiron, Matthews is a 4-star athlete prospect who plays wide receiver and defensive back for Turner Ashby High School.
Matthews is expected to pursue a collegiate career in which he plays both football and baseball. According to On3, schools such as Virginia Tech, West Virginia, and North Carolina are believed to be willing to take Matthews as a baseball player and a football player.
The Gamecocks are not believed to be fully out of it in Matthews’ recruitment, but a scholarship offer from Shane Beamer’s program likely will be necessary to get him back on board with the garnet and black.