Cole Messina praises South Carolina effort after series-clinching victory over Missouri

The South Carolina Gamecocks had to deal with a 32-minute weather delay on Sunday evening, before finally closing out their game with the Missouri Tigers. The Gamecocks prevailed 9-4, thanks to a masterful performance from catcher Cole Messina. He finished the day going 3-for-5 at the plate, including one home run, one double, and one RBI. Following the win, he spoke with the ESPN+ broadcast crew on the field.

How did he play so well in the series? “I just saw it really well Friday night. Just kept it on today and Saturday. So, I just tried to do what the team needed. You know, we came out with a win today. So, I’m super proud of everybody,” Messina said.

Gamecocks head coach Mark Kingston has tabbed Messina as one of the most consistent hitters on their roster. What does it mean to him to be one of the main leaders for South Carolina?

“It means the world, because you come in as a freshman, you don’t really have a say in much. And you know, when everything happens, I guess, I don’t know. It just kind of shows who you are. They’re really bothering me back there. It’s hard to concentrate,” Messina noted.

“But yeah, I mean, it’s fun. I mean, I enjoy it. And this team’s a lot of fun as you can tell. And they’re throwing water at me that’s freezing,” Messina laughed.

It was the first series win for South Carolina in Columbia (MO) since 2013.

Shortly after the lightning delay was announced at 4:36 PM EST, updates came rolling in around twenty minutes later. South Carolina and Missouri were scheduled to restart at 5:10 PM EST. Missouri had a runner on first with two outs in the bottom of the eighth inning.

Once play resumed, South Carolina wasted little time in putting two more runs on the board. One was a solo shot in the ninth inning by Cole Messina. It was the second home run of the series for him. South Carolina took the lead 9-4 in the ninth inning and that would be the final.

South Carolina’s Austin Brinling also had the play of the day, when Missouri blasted what would have been a grand slam back to the wall. Brinling jumped above the wall and made the catch, taking away four runs off the board for the Tigers.