South Carolina baseball picks up commitment from SEC left-handed pitcher
Terry Rooney has made it abundantly clear recruiting pitching talent is a priority for him this summer.
On Wednesday, South Carolina earned another commitment, this time from Georgia left-handed pitcher Jarvis Evans. The 6-foot-4, 214 pounder made it official on his Instagram story. He will have with two years of eligibility remaining.
In two seasons with the Dawgs, Evans is 5-2 with a 5.22 ERA over 60.1 career innings. In 2024, he made eight starts in 16 appearances and pitched to a 5.49 ERA. He struck out 47, walked 27 and gave up seven home runs. Opponents batted .255 against him.
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Evans becomes the second SEC transfer pitcher to join the Gamecocks through the portal, with Wyatt Evans from Tennessee being the other.
Cole Messina named consensus All-American, Johnny Bench Award winner
By: Jack Veltri
After another strong season at South Carolina, Cole Messina is reaping the rewards of his on-field successes.
The junior catcher received multiple honors on Wednesday. He was named a Second Team All-American by D1Baseball. That now makes him a consensus All-American, earning Second Team honors from Baseball America, ABCA, NCBWA, Perfect Game and D1 Baseball.
And now, he’s the recipient of the Johnny Bench Award, MSA Sport announced on Wednesday. The award, named after Hall of Fame catcher Johnny Bench, is given to the best catcher in college baseball.
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Messina joins a list of 10 Johnny Bench Award winners that includes notable names such as Kurt Suzuki, Buster Posey and Adley Rutschman.
On the year, Messina finished with an impressive .326/.465/.701 slash line. He hit 21 home runs and drove in 71 runs, both career-highs for him. Behind the plate, he threw out 13 runners in 41 stolen base attempts.
The 2024 Johnny Bench Awards Luncheon will take place on Tuesday, July 30 at Great American Ball Park, home of the Cincinnati Reds. Messina will be recognized that evening during on-field ceremonies before the Reds face the Chicago Cubs game at 7:10 p.m.
