South Carolina shortstop battle heating up as preseason gets underway
As preseason scrimmages ramp up this weekend for South Carolina, head coach Mark Kingston will have a lot of important choices to make with his roster. Near the top of that list is the ongoing shortstop battle.
Since the beginning of the fall, Will Tippett and Lee Ellis have been going at it, fighting for that starting spot. When asked about it a few months ago, Kingston said it was about 50-50 on who would win. Though he didn’t provide any concrete numbers, he did have a lot to say about both players.
“I think we’re in pretty good shape there. Will Tippett is probably our most improved player from his freshman season,” Kingston said. He’s put on some really good strength that his made his offense much better than it was last year.”
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Tippett played all over the field for South Carolina last year as a freshman. His numbers weren’t anything eye-popping, hitting .182/.305/.291 with three homers and 15 RBI. He also struck out 47 times and walked 19.
However, he was a player that found time a bigger role as the Gamecocks entered the postseason. He started in center field for every regional and super regional game. But now, his focus has shifted towards playing shortstop everyday.
“He has plenty of range for the position and we love range at the shortstop position. He has that,” Kingston said. “He’s a 6-5 runner, he’s a gamer, he’s a winner as you guys saw last year. He battled through some serious injuries last year and just kept playing hard. He’s a guy we’re very excited about.”
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With Ellis, he was a top-100 prospect coming out of the 2023 class. Perfect Game ranked him as the No. 85 player in the class and a top 30 shortstop. And in Maryland, he was ranked as the No. 1 shortstop. He’s got talent but doesn’t have the same experience as a guy like Tippett does.
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“Elite athleticism, another guy that’s in that 6-4, 6-5 range. Plus arm,” Kingston said. “The offense is a little behind the defense right now. But he’s a guy that can really go pick it and help you in a lot of different ways.”
With 23 days to go until Opening Day, there’s now another potential wrench thrown into the equation. South Carolina picked up a commitment from transfer shortstop Jordan Carrion earlier this month.
“We added Jordan because Jordan has a lot of starts in his past at Florida and Florida State,” Kingston said. “He’s a guy that can play any position on the infield. He’s a plus defender.”
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While he’s a player with more years of experience under his belt compared to Tippett and Ellis, there is one dilemma. South Carolina is going through a battle with the NCAA to determine whether or not Carrion will be eligible to play this season as a two-time transfer.
“It’s probably 50-50 whether he’ll be eligible for us this year,” Kingston said. “If he’s not, then he will roll over onto next year’s team. But if he’s healthy and he’s eligible this year, he’ll be a guy that can help us at second, short, or third.”
Kingston was also asked if he has an idea of when he will know Carrion’s status for this year.
“Your guess is as good as mine. We hope sooner rather than later,” he said.
