Gamecocks land baseball commitment from familiar family

There is another English on the way to play baseball at South Carolina.

St. James middle infielder Jacob English, the younger brother of former Gamecocks outfielder Tanner English, committed to USC Sunday night, announcing his decision on Twitter.

English landed an offer from the Gamecocks on Friday and did not need much time to decide to make Columbia his future home.

“The reason I committed is they showed a very big interest in me. They showed me they really wanted me at South Carolina,” he said. “I like the conference they play in. The coaches are really easy to talk to. Their stadium is the best in the country. All of their facilities are great. I would just love to play there.”

English, a junior, also held an offer from College of Charleston. He was recruited by USC assistant Sammy Esposito.

The fact that Tanner had positive words for South Carolina helped make Jacob’s decision an easy one.

“I’m really close to my brother. He had a great experience there and that played a very big role in my decision,” Jacob said. “I think it would be pretty cool to continue that legacy and play baseball at South Carolina.”

While the two play different positions in the field, their styles at the plate are very similar.

“I’m a scrappy player. I like to use my speed. I’ll put the ball on the ground and try to beat it out,” English said. “Tanner likes to bunt and I like to bunt… I would say we’re pretty much the same type of player.”

Tanner hit .289 during his career at South Carolina, scored 103 runs in 185 games played and used his speed to steal 42 bases in 54 attempts.

Tanner has told Jacob that Jacob is faster at age 16 than he was.