South Carolina baseball signee pledges to come to school over pro opportunities

South Carolina baseball had three current players (catcher Cole Messina, right-handed pitcher Eli Jones, and left-handed pitcher Garrett Gainey), one junior college signee (left-handed pitcher Brandon Clarke), and two high school signees (outfielder PJ Morlando and right-handed pitcher Carson Messina) selected in the 2024 MLB Draft.

There were several current and future Gamecocks who were expected to be taken during the three-day event, but players like Roman Kimball, Gavin Casas, Kennedy Jones, Chris Veach, Brandon Stone, Jackson Soucie, Beau Hollins, KJ Scobey, and Max McClellan all did not hear their names called despite some projections to the contrary.

Before the draft even ended, Beau Hollins (a switch-hitting first baseman) announced that he was going to forego any professional opportunity to follow in his father's and uncle's footsteps by playing for the Gamecocks. Then, shortly after Hollins, another high school class of 2024 made a similar announcement.

Big right-handed pitcher Max McClellan posted a similar pledge to enroll at the University of South Carolina. His message also came in before the draft was quite finished.

As a prospect, McClellan has nearly unlimited potential. With a fastball that sits in the low 90s and has reached higher velocities than that, the Ohio native has a powerful arm and a frame (listed at 6'7" and 215 pounds) that can add even more strength. His fastball has lots of bite to it, and he throws multiple breaking pitches that are almost impossible to hit thanks to his imposing first pitch.

McClellan is a good athlete, as well, as evidenced by his positional background as a centerfielder. He will have the beneficial situation in Columbia of being part of a pitching staff with a lot of talented arms (meaning he doesn't have to be dominant right away) but not as many proven commodities (meaning that opportunities could be plentiful if things go well for him).