South Carolina Baseball: Watch Gamecock commitment throw 96 miles per hour
By Kevin Miller
![South Carolina baseball coach Mark Kingston South Carolina baseball coach Mark Kingston](https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/c_crop,w_828,h_465,x_0,y_0/c_fill,w_720,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto/images/ImagnImages/mmsport/244/01hma4mz25ex03ycct13.jpg)
South Carolina baseball coach Mark Kingston and his new-look coaching staff (associate head coach/hitting coach/recruiting coordinator Monte Lee is in his second year, while pitching coach Matt Williams and assistant hitting coach/assistant recruiting coordinator Joey Holcomb are in their first season in Columbia) signed a top-10 recruiting class in the 2024 cycle.
One of the top players in the class is elite shortstop Dalton Wentz. Wentz is one of the top middle infielders in the class of 2024 and could be a candidate to be selected early in the 2024 MLB Draft out of high school. While he was primarily recruited as a shortstop, Wentz has also shown some promise on the mound as a right-handed pitcher.
Recently, while getting ready for his senior high school season, Wentz hit 96 miles per hour on the radar gun.
Virginia 2024 RHP Dalton Wentz (@dalton_wentz) locating up to 96 mph working at @Powerhousestf. @GamecockBasebll commit pic.twitter.com/Qnp9W1Ud0K
— Prospect Dugout (@prospectdugout) January 11, 2024
There are not many 18 year olds in the world who can throw 96 miles per hour. According to the tweet from Prospect Dugout that showed Wentz's video, the Virginia native is also locating well while throwing that hard.
Thought by many to be a shortstop whose pitching days would be behind him after high school, Wentz may find himself in the middle of a tug-of-war between Gamecock hitting coaches Monte Lee and Joey Holcomb and pitching coach Matt Williams.
South Carolina baseball has not been opposed to having players pitch and hit in the program. However, other than Michael Braswell's brief run as the team's starting shortstop and closer in 2022, most of these players have a clear leaning one way or the other: Parker Bangs was a pitcher first, Braswell was an infielder, Chris Veach is a pitcher, etc.
Whatever Kingston and his staff elect to do with Wentz, Gamecock fans can't wait for him to get on campus next year.
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