Justin Parker impressed with Jack Mahoney after fall performance
When Justin Parker took the South Carolina pitching coach job, all he had to go off of with Jack Mahoney was word of mouth.
Granted, those words were insanely good after a freshman All-American season. But Mahoney was in the throws of Tommy John rehab when Parker arrived at the Gamecocks’ facility.
Parker had to wait until the fall to see Mahoney go to work, and he didn’t leave disappointed.
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“He threw a ton of strikes and commanded the plate from both sides. There’s still some rust he’s trying to iron out. I think he had four live outings this fall and progressed on each one,” Parker told GamecockCentral. “I thought he ended on a really good note. There’s probably going to be more he continues to refine over the winter and into the spring.”
Mahoney was in the midst of a phenomenal freshman year before a torn UCL cut that short.
After starting the season as a bullpen arm, Mahoney settled in as the Gamecocks’ midweek starter. South Carolina expected him to be an integral part of the program in the postseason that year and in the future.
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Mahoney had a 1.62 ERA and 1.05 WHIP in 33.1 innings with 39 strikeouts to just eight walks. He left a start early only to find out he needed Tommy John surgery.
That sidelined him for the entire 2022 season while leaving Mahoney primed and ready to assume a major role on this year’s pitching staff.
“Jack’s transformation from a very prolific freshman pitching on a midweek to the expectation and this is his expectation and mine as well, to be a high-level weekend type pitcher in the SEC,” Parker said. “Those are two markedly different criteria. I thought he did above and beyond what I expected right away.”
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Mahoney was topping out in the upper-90s on his fastball, and South Carolina is going to ask him to play a major role this season.
He’ll either be an anchor in the Gamecocks’ 2023 weekend rotation or serve as the team’s closer.
Parker loves the repertoire Mahoney has on the mound. But he also loves the other intrinsic things Mahoney can do on the field.
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“He’s a great athlete, first and foremost,” Parker said. “(Mahoney’s) a great competitor. He does all the little things you like to see guys do from a dependability standpoint: hold the run game, fields the short game. He’s arguably the best athlete on the field at any given point.”
Mahoney was a three-sport star in high school and spent time as a two-way player at South Carolina. He decided this offseason to focus solely on pitching, and he’ll be a very instrumental face on this team.
