'It's fun to watch': Former Gamecock baseball captain Adam Matthews excited to see Jordan Montgomery and Christian Walker play in World Series

Long after his playing days, Adam Matthews still loves to watch baseball. He can’t say he watches every game but still loves to keep up when he can.

But it’s not just watching the games. It’s also about the relationships he still has with his old teammates.

“I love keeping up with the guys that I played with,” said Matthews, who played for South Carolina from 2009-12. “We have a great group of talent that has come out of the University of South Carolina.”

Now, Matthews will have a chance to watch two of his former teammates, Christian Walker and Jordan Montgomery, play in this year’s World Series.

“Seeing Christian and Jordan both play on such an elite level and a high level and getting to kind of live out their childhood dreams…it’s fun to watch and I’m very happy for those guys,” Matthews said.

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Matthews was close with Walker, who he played with from 2010-12. The two former teammates were key pieces when the Gamecocks won back-to-back College World Series.

“I’m thankful and honored that I got the chance to play with him and wish him nothing but success,” Matthews said. “I know he stills lives here locally in the offseason. So he’s still true to his South Carolina roots in terms of his college days.”

When Matthews watched the Diamondbacks beat the Phillies in the NLCS, he knew exactly how special it was for Walker. The former Gamecock slugger grew up in the Philadelphia area.

“It was fun to see him go back near his hometown in Philadelphia and beat the Phillies,” Matthews said.

It hasn’t been a great postseason for Walker, who’s hit .179 with one homer and six RBI in 12 games. But Matthews knows he’s got what it takes to heat up at any time.

“I remember him coming out of high school and he was one of the top hitters in the country, if not the top hitters in the country,” he said. “It not only showed back then, but it shows today. I mean, his plate discipline, the way he approaches his at-bats. He has a great eye at the plate.

“And of course, he has not only excelled at the plate, but I mean, he’s a Gold Glover this year. And he’s done a phenomenal job working on his defensive ability and being able to contribute on the field defensively and offensively is a big plus.”

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On the flip side, Matthews didn’t play with Montgomery as long as he did with Walker. Matthews was a senior when Montgomery joined the team as a freshman in 2012.

But the two played roles in getting the Gamecocks back to Omaha for a third straight year. Montgomery would go on to have a great career that has carried over into now.

Matthews said he always knew Montgomery had good stuff as a pitcher. But he also knew he needed to be mentally tough and have a good mix of pitches to succeed at the pro level.

“When all that starts to click on a high level, you get something like Jordan,” he said. “The kid has absolutely done a fantastic job of staying mentally grounded and putting in the work and effort.”

Regardless of who wins the series, Matthews knows the moment will not be too big for either guy. They all played in the biggest games in college for multiple years, which he believes will serve them well now.

“I mean, it’s just like anything we do. You put yourself in stressful environments, it always makes you a better person, or better individual or better professional, regardless of your career,” Matthews said.

“Let’s say you have a full count or something of that nature, and you have the crowd, especially in Philadelphia, going crazy. It puts you in a position to have that experience. So when you do face it again, you’re able to mentally prepare yourself going into it and not think so much about it.”

Game 1 of the World Series will begin on Friday at 7 p.m. on Fox. The Rangers will have home-field advantage for the series. Games 3-5 will be at Chase Field in Arizona.

For Matthews, he couldn’t be more excited to see his guys playing on baseball’s biggest stage.

“Regardless of who wins, kudos to both both Christian and Jordan for having unbelievable careers up to this point and wish them both nothing but success,” Matthews said.

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