Mark Kingston, Gamecocks reel in a Top-25 national recruit

Mark Kingston was a well-regarded recruiter back before he had the weight of South Carolina baseball to help him on the trail.

And he showed it again Thursday night.

North Gwinnett outfielder Josh Shuler committed to Kingston and the Gamecocks for the 2020 class. The 6-foot-2 and 190-pound outfielder is the No. 23 player in his class according to Perfect Game.

He’s the second top-rated recruit to join the class in the past few weeks, joining two-sport star Brandon Fields out of Orlando. Fields is the No. 15 player in the class of 2020.

Soon after Shuler’s commit, USC picked up yet another top 2020 player.

Lukas Cook, a shortstop out of Tennessee, tweeted his pledge to USC. He’s the No. 99 player in his class. At 6-foot-3, 205 pounds, he had been committed to Mississippi State, but decommitted on July 5.

This story was originally published July 12, 2018 at 9:27 PM.