Gamecocks add accomplished Big Ten pitching coach to staff
The South Carolina baseball team is set to hire Indiana assistant Justin Parker as its new pitching coach.
Though the school has not yet officially announced the move, Parker confirmed the news himself on Twitter, saying: “Angi and I have been overwhelmed by all the love and support we’ve received the past few days! We’re so thankful for all the friendships and memories we’ve made in Bloomington but are very excited to begin our next chapter in Columbia!”
Last week, the Gamecocks lost four-year pitching coach Skylar Meade to Troy, where he will serve as head coach.
Parker just completed his third season as Indiana’s pitching coach and second as the Hoosiers’ associate head coach. Under his guidance, Indiana ranked third in the country last season with a 3.17 team ERA, compared to a 3.80 team ERA for the Gamecocks.
A former player at Wright State whom the Arizona Diamondbacks drafted in the sixth round in 2018, Parker returned to coach at his alma mater in 2011, then spent two seasons as pitching coach at UCF before joining Indiana’s staff before the 2019 season.
Parker’s Indiana pitching staff produced four picks in the 2021 MLB Draft, including a third-rounder in McCade Brown and a seventh-rounder in Gabe Bierman.
He’ll be among a pair of new faces on the South Carolina coaching staff, which also lost assistant coach Trip Couch to Arizona. Though the school has not yet announced the hire, The Big Spur reported that USC will hire Chad Caillet in Couch’s role as assistant coach and recruiting coordinator.
Caillet served as an assistant on Rob Childress’ Texas A&M for the last two seasons before the Aggies made a coaching change this offseason and hired TCU’s Jim Schlossnagle. Prior to Texas A&M, Caillet spent 12 seasons coaching at Southern Miss, coordinating the team’s offense and helping the Golden Eagles to eight NCAA Regional appearances and one College World Series trip.
This story was originally published July 20, 2021 at 6:37 PM.
