MLB Draft is over. A look at what Gamecock baseball roster might look like in 2025
South Carolina baseball wasn’t hit too hard Tuesday, the final day of the Major League Baseball draft.
Gamecock signee Carson Messina was the lone player taken in rounds 11-20 on the final day. Messina, the Summerville High standout, was picked in the 13th round by the Toronto Blue Jays.
Messina’s brother Cole was drafted early in the third round on Monday by the Colorado Rockies. Both are expected to sign with their major league clubs.
The Messinas are two of six USC players or signees picked in the three-day draft. Others drafted were signees PJ Morlando (first round) and Brendan Clarke (fifth round), weekend starter Eli Jones (seventh round) and pitcher Garrett Gainey (ninth round). All are expected sign. Gainey is a senior and has no eligibility left.
There are others who could sign free-agent deals instead of returning for final year of school.
With the draft complete, first-year coach Paul Mainieri can now start putting the final touches on next year’s roster. The Gamecocks got a big boost when first baseman Ethan Petry announced he would not transfer. Petry is projected as a first-round draft pick in next year’s draft by multiple publications.
Maineri and his staff have been busy in the transfer portal with commitments already including outfielder Dalton Mashore (St. Mary’s) and infielders Charlie Meglio (Campbell) and Henry Kaczmar (Ohio State). Roster sizes for Division I baseball are at 40 players.
The Gamecocks also got a commitment from Florence-Darlington Tech pitcher Aydin Palmer on Thursday. Palmer, who played at South Florence, was 9-3 with 77 strikeouts in 60 2/3 innings last season for the Stingers, who advanced to the JUCO World Series.
Here is a look at movement on USC baseball roster:
SOUTH CAROLINA ROSTER MOVEMENT
Graduated (No eligibility left)
OF Dylan Brewer; OF Austin Brinling; 1B Gavin Casas; INF Tyler Causey; LHP Garrett Gainey (Drafted by Tampa Bay); RHP Ty Good; INF Parker Noland; C Dalton Reeves
Drafted (Likely will sign)
First round: OF PJ Morlando, Miami Marlins (signee)
Third round: C Cole Messina, Colorado Rockies
Fifth round: Brandon Clarke, P, Boston Red Sox (signee)
Seventh round: Eli Jones, P, Minnesota Twins
12th round: Carson Messina, P, Toronto Blue Jays (signee)
Free Agent signees
Chris Veach, P (New York Yankees)
High school signees
C Gavin Braland, Georgia Premier; P Ryder Garino, Cherry Hill West (NJ); P Riley Goodman: Christian Brothers (Tenn.); OF Elijah Grant, Westside (SC); P Cole Greer, Berkeley (SC); Beau Hollins River Bluff (SC); Brady Jones P27 Academy (SC); INF Tyler June, Laurence Manning (SC); Max McClellan, St. Edward (Ohio); Cooper Parks, York (SC); Cade Pilgrim, Clover (SC); Henry Prindl, Bishop Gorman (NV); P/INF, Zach Russell, West Ashley (SC); INF KJ Scobey, McKeel Academy (Fla.)
JUCO signees
UTIL Cayden Gaskin, Northwest Florida State; P Kemper Nix, Spartanburg Methodist; P Aydin Palmer, Florence-Darlington Tech; P Jackson Soucie. Wabash Valley; P Brandon Stone. Johnson County; P Brendan Sweeney: Blinn
Transfer Additions
Caleb Jones, RHP, Winthrop — June 3 ; Cayden Gaskin, INF/OF, Northwest Florida State — June 12 ; Dalton Mashore, OF, St. Mary’s — June 14; Wyatt Evans, LHP, Tennessee — June 21 ; Ashton Crowther, LHP, Miami — June 24 ; Nathan Hall, OF, Clemson — June 24 ; Jarvis Evans, LHP, Georgia — June 26 ; Charlie Meglio, INF, Campbell — June 26 ; Henry Kaczmar, INF, Ohio State — July 2
Can return
C Ryan Bakes; P Matthew Becker; P Eddie Copper; P Tyler Dean; P Dylan Eskew; OF Connor Fuhrman; OF Blake Jackson; P Eli Jerzembeck; OF Kennedy Jones; P Roman Kimball; 3B Talmadge LeCroy; P Parker Marlatt; P Reese Marcum; P Jake McCoy; P Xavier Pelzer; OF Ethan Petry; P Tyler Pitzer; P Michael Polk, P Drake Quinn; P Sam Simpson; OF Evan Stone; SS Will Tippett; P Ricky Williams; P Joey Wittig
Transfer departures (New schools in parentheses)
Lee Ellis, INF; Connor McCreery, RHP (Texas); Carson Hornung, OF; Jackson Phipps, LHP (Jacksonville State); Jevarra Martin, LHP; Drake Quinn, RHP; Tristan Salinas, UTIL; Austin Williamson, RHP; Tyler Zedalis, INF (Old Dominion)
2024 DRAFT TRACKER: PROSPECTS WITH TIES TO STATE OF SC
First Round
16. PJ Morlando, OF, Miami Marlins (Summerville HS and USC signee)
Second Round
54. Cole Mathis, 3B, Chicago Cubs (College of Charleston)
60. Billy Amick, 3B, Minnesota Twins (WW King HS/P27 Academy)
Third round
77. Cole Messina, C, Colorado Rockies (South Carolina and Summerville HS)
98. Chase Harlan, 3B, Los Angeles Dodgers (Clemson signee)
102. Daniel Eagen, P, Arizona Diamondbacks (Presbyterian College)
Fourth round
106. Blake Wright, 3B, Colorado Rockies (Clemson)
110. Austin Gordon, P, Los Angeles Angels (Clemson/Myrtle Beach HS)
Fifth round
140. Sam Antonacci, INF, Chicago White Sox (Coastal Carolina)
145. Will Taylor, OF, Pittsburgh Pirates (Clemson/Dutch Fork HS)
148. Brandon Clarke, P, Boston Red Sox (South Carolina signee)
150. Tristan Smith, P, Cincinnati Reds (Clemson/Boiling Springs HS)
Sixth round
188. Derek Bender, C, Minnesota Twins (Coastal Carolina/St. James HS)
Seventh round
218. Eli Jones, P, Minnesota Twins (South Carolina)
222. Joel Dragoo, OF, Philadelphia Phillies (Presbyterian College)
Eighth round
253. Dylan Howard, P, Houston Astros (JL Mann/P27 Academy)
Ninth round
276. Garrett Gainey, P, Tampa Bay Rays (South Carolina/Hartsville HS)
10th round
306. Trey Pooser, P, Tampa Bay Rays (Hanahan HS)
12th round
350. Alexander Meckley, P, Washington Nationals (Coastal Carolina)
363. Evan Truitt, P, Seattle Mariners (Charleston Southern)
367. Carson Messina, P, Toronto Blue Jays (South Carolina signee/Summerville HS)
13th round
376. Riley Huge, P, Oakland A’s, (Winthrop)
15th round
451. Marshall Toole, OF, New York Yankees (Wofford)
464. Rocco Reid, P, Arizona Diamondbacks (Clemson/Greenville HS)
17th round
509. Trent Hodgdon, P, Cincinnati Reds (USC Upstate)
523. Ethan Wagner, OF, Houston Astros (P27 Academy)
18th round
532. David Mershon, Los Angeles Angels (Eastside HS)
19th round
561. Brendan Lawson, SS, St. Louis Cardinals (P27 Academy)
This story was originally published July 17, 2024 at 8:15 AM.
