Jake McCoy on transition from high school to college baseball: 'I'm not the top dog anymore'
Life couldn’t have been much better for Jake McCoy. In a winner-take-all state championship game, he pitched six solid innings to lead Catawba Ridge (S.C.) High School to its first baseball title.
“It was probably one of the most incredible baseball experiences I’ve ever had,” McCoy told GamecockCentral’s Jack Veltri in a Garnet Trust exclusive interview. “Just going through that with all those guys that I played with for almost three years now…the bond we had on that team was awesome.”
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McCoy finished his senior season with an 8-2 record and 1.65 ERA. He struck out 105 with 27 hits and 30 walks allowed in 55.1 innings pitched. But it wasn’t so much his personal success that brought him joy. It was the ride the Copperheads went on to win the championship.
“I mean, the teams we played, we were so good. We had four guys that were Division I pitchers on the mound. So I mean, we were just a force to be reckoned with on the mound,” McCoy said. “Our offense backed it up. But yeah, it was awesome. That experience for me was so much fun. So many things had to go our way and they did. And it was just awesome that happened.”
Fast forward to now, McCoy’s life is still good, but not on the same level as winning that title. Entering his freshman year at South Carolina, he will have to find a way to break in and find a role on a pitching staff with a lot of arms.
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McCoy joined the Gamecocks in the fall but didn’t pitch at all due to an injury. He’s still working his way back but should begin to throw later this month. From there, he’s been told he should be ready to go by SEC play.
“I mean, I haven’t really thought about that,” McCoy said about the possibility of not pitching frequently. “I’ve kind of just been focused on my whole rehab and getting back to being the way I was. I’m very confident in my abilities, I believe I can go out there and pitch and get people out. I mean, I pitched in my summer league and got collegiate hitters out. So I mean, obviously it wasn’t SEC, but I still think with the coaching here and everything I’ve had, I think I’m going to be a lot better than I was. I’m confident. I don’t want to sound cocky, but I am confident.”
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Despite his confidence, the transition from being the ace on a high school pitching staff to not knowing what’s to come in college hasn’t always been easy. But it’s something McCoy plans to embrace.
“It’s weird if that makes sense,” he said. “Everybody has been super open and welcoming. But just like I’m not the top dog anymore. Like I walk around in the locker room and see these guys who have had years of SEC success and it’s just like man, they’re pretty damn good. I need to be like that one day.”
