Passed over by the MLB, former Gamecock set to return in a different role
Pro baseball’s loss is South Carolina’s gain.
Justin Row, who led the Gamecocks in batting average this past season, will be returning to USC in 2019 as an undergraduate assistant on coach Mark Kingston’s staff, The State confirmed Wednesday. Gamecock Central first reported the move.
Row exhausted his eligibility in 2018 after two seasons with Carolina and two years in junior college. The second baseman started 47 games for USC this past year, hitting .347 while slugging seven home runs and driving in 25 runs. His .975 fielding percentage was also one of the best on the team.
In the MLB Draft in April, however, Row went unpicked through 40 rounds — at 5-foot-8 and 190 pounds, he was considered undersized by most analysts. On social media, however, his teammates, fans and media all expressed surprise that not one team picked him.
It was later reported later that Row signed a deal with the Tampa Bay Rays but failed his physical. Now, he’ll return to Columbia and finish his degree while helping the Gamecocks from the dugout as the team attempts to follow up on its 2018 NCAA Super Regional run, which ended one win shy of the College World Series.