South Carolina pitcher won't be available against Sacred Heart due to injury
On Thursday, South Carolina baseball coach Paul Mainieri spoke to the media ahead of his team’s season opener on Friday against the Sacred Heart Pioneers.
During the press conference, GamecockCentral’s Jack Veltri asked Mainieri about right-handed pitcher Eli Jerzembeck’s role. Jerzembeck did not earn a spot in the weekend rotation after some struggles this spring. His head coach, though, provided some potential context.
“Eli actually went to see a doctor yesterday. He’s having a little bit of some issues right now. We’re not really sure what exactly the problem is,” Mainieri said. “But he’s not going to be available to us certainly for this weekend and probably next week. It would probably explain why some of his struggles were happening in these first three weeks.”
The Gamecock headman added that he wasn’t exactly sure what the issue is with the redshirt sophomore’s health but that he won’t be available for at least the first two weeks of the season. Because the issue hasn’t been identified fully, Mainieri offered no additional timetable.
“I really feel for the kid,” Mainieri said, “because obviously he missed all of last year and now we’ve just got to hope and pray for the best for him.”
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Many around MLB Draft circles view Jerzembeck as a big-time professional prospect. He missed all of 2024 and part of 2023, though, with Tommy John surgery. During his freshman campaign (pre-injury), Jerzembeck impressed in garnet and black, striking out 36 batters in 31.2 innings. He also logged a 2.84 ERA in his hybrid starter/bullpen role.
Win tickets to USC-Clemson baseball (Sunday game in Columbia)
As things stand, South Carolina will trot out a weekend rotation of Dylan Eskew (Friday), Matthew Becker (Saturday), and Jake McCoy (Sunday) for the Gamecocks’ first test of the 2025 season. Both Eskew and Becker had really strong springs, and McCoy finished well, earning the final spot in the rotation.
Friday’s game one is scheduled for 4:00 p.m. Game two on Saturday will be at 2:00 p.m., and the Sunday finale will be at Noon. All three games will stream on SEC Network+. Game two also will include a dedication ceremony in which USC will rename the playing surface at Founders Park “Ray Tanner Field.”
