Elite in-state prospect decommits from South Carolina baseball program

South Carolina baseball coach Paul Mainieri and his staff have gotten a lot of good news this offseason. The Gamecocks have landed several commitments (from the high school ranks, from junior college, and from the transfer portal), and several potential MLB Draft defections elected to come to school for next year instead of pursuing an early professional career.

However, all news can't be good news.

On Tuesday, class of 2025 commitment Peter Mershon announced on social media that he was decommitting from the Gamecocks. The catcher/third base prospect was considered a top-100 player in the '25 cycle, but if he makes it to college next year (as opposed to the MLB Draft), it seems as if it will be at a school other than the University of South Carolina.

Mershon, who is a Palmetto State native, attends Eastside High School in the Greenville area and has one more year of high school remaining. He is a major MLB Draft prospect and might not play college baseball altogether. His older brother David played for the Mississippi State Bulldogs before being taken in this year's draft by the Los Angeles Angels.

Even with the decommitment from the younger Mershon, South Carolina baseball still has a catcher pledge in the class of 2025. Earlier this summer, West Ashley High School catcher Noah Franklin committed to Coach Mainieri and the Gamecocks. Franklin had been committed to Duke previously before flipping to the home-state team after Mark Kingston's dismissal.

The Gamecocks also have several players committed in the class who can play in the infield, and multiple players from the class of 2024 are considered big-time infield prospects.

Losing a player as talented as Mershon hurts, but Carolina has some solid infrastructure in place to endure the blow.

The Gamecocks will begin their fall practice season at the end of September.