South Carolina Baseball: Gamecocks sign nation’s best player, put together top-10 recruiting class

South Carolina baseball fans have reason to be excited about the program’s future. Not only did the 2023 Gamecocks show that the program is back on the upswing, but USC has had a really good run of recruiting for the future.

The next wave of recruits to make things official for South Carolina baseball signed their National Letters of Intent on Wednesday. While not everyone has sent in their paperwork, Baseball America has compiled its top-10 recruiting classes in college baseball, and the Gamecocks made the cut.

South Carolina baseball coach Mark Kingston and his staff have pulled in a big-time haul in the class of 2024.

The class starts with PJ Morlando, the top player in the country, and the best hitter in the ’24 cycle. Players of Morlando’s caliber rarely end up going to school as the MLB Draft comes calling, but the powerful left-handed 1B/OF has left the door open to coming to school by signing with the Gamecocks.

His high school teammate at Summerville High School, Carson Messina (also the brother of current Gamecock Cole Messina), is a right-handed pitcher who will also have an MLB Draft decision to make next summer.

Swith-hitting shortstop Dalton Wentz is another highly-ranked prospect who will be in line for an early selection in next year’s draft.

KJ Scobey is another highly-rated infielder, and in-state prospects like Cooper Parks, Zach Russell, and Tyler June could be infield options after arriving on campus.

Catcher Gavin Braland, first baseman Beau Hollins, and outfielders Elijah Grant and Ethan Wagner round out the class of position players. Braland is one of the best defensive catchers in the class, Hollins has prodigious power as a switch-hitter, and Grant and Wagner are plus-athletes in the outfield.

6’7″ right-handed pitcher Max McClellan could join Messina as Gamecock pitcher signees with an MLB Draft decision as he is already really good and has almost unlimited potential.

Henry Prindly, Riley Goodman, Ryder Garino, Cole Greer, Brady Jones, Peyton Rogers, and Gavin King are the other right-handed pitchers in the class, and Cade Pilgrim is the only southpaw in the ’24 cycle for the Gamecocks. All of these pitchers are projectable as good college pitchers if things go well for them.

South Carolina baseball fans should be excited about this crop of young talent that is coming into the program. Next summer’s MLB Draft will be worth following for Carolina fans as they follow which of these players will make it to Columbia and which current Gamecocks will be moving on to the professional game.