Jonah Bride enjoying ‘storybook’ scenario at South Carolina

South Carolina third baseman Jonah Bride has played stellar defense behind Braden Webb and USC’s entire pitching staff all season. It is only right that Bride assists Webb now after his high school teammate assisted Bride with a chance to play for the Gamecocks.

Bride believed all he needed was an opportunity to prove he could play at a major college baseball program, but he was being recruited by mid-major schools and junior colleges coming out of high school, despite a stellar career at Owasso High in Oklahoma.

Rather than play at a smaller four-year school, he opted to spend a year at Neosho Community College with the goal of putting up big numbers and catching the eye of major college programs.

He hit an incredible .471 with 14 home runs and 93 RBIs in one year, and Webb, a childhood friend, lobbied for the Gamecocks to make a strong push for Bride.

Assistant Sammy Esposito listened to Webb, scouted Bride and saw enough to pull the trigger with an offer. Bride said he isn’t sure he would have ended up at USC if not for Webb.

“I think he definitely helped push for it. Braden definitely helped a lot,” Bride said. “I have (thanked him) for sure. I’m so glad I’m here. It’s a blessing.”

Bride is rewarding Carolina’s staff for taking a chance on him with his play in his first season.

He is one of two players on USC’s team to start every game and is third on the team in SEC play with a .284 average. For the season Bride is batting .267 with nine doubles, two home runs and 21 RBIs, and defensively he has committed only one error, the fewest of USC’s regular infielders.

“The big thing that’s stood out for Jonah is he plays great defense at third. He’s been a nice, solid player for us, very consistent,” Carolina coach Chad Holbrook said. “As he continues to get stronger and develops, his best baseball is in front of him from an offensive standpoint… He’s a good leader too, great character kid, a coaches’ dream.”

Bride earned a starting spot thanks to his strong play during the fall. He led the Gamecocks with a .395 average in fall scrimmages and made it so that Holbrook could not keep him out of the lineup.

He even had success against Webb, who was nearly unhittable in fall scrimmages on his way to locking up a spot in USC’s weekend rotation.

“Off me lifetime he’s like 8-for-12 or something like that. He’s got my number,” Webb said. “He’s always had good instincts to the ball and good hands. Everybody coming in was like, ‘Who’s this kid from Neosho?’ But I knew he was capable of being a good leader with his bat, and defensively he’s going to make plays.”

A strong performance during the fall confirmed what Bride already believed: he is capable of competing against the best college baseball players in the country.

“You see what you’re going to be facing in the SEC, so that helps a lot,” he said. “Seeing yourself do that makes you realize you can do it and you should be here.”

Bride’s strong fall has carried into the season, and while his average isn’t as high as he would like, he has also hit into some tough luck. For a stretch it seemed as if every ball he squared up was hit right at a defender.

Still, the sophomore has found ways to get on base as he has been hit by a pitch a team-high 19 times and also has drawn 17 walks. He is far from a speedster but is 5-for-5 in stolen base chances as well.

Webb said he could not be more proud of what his friend since the age of eight is accomplishing.

“We’re like brothers. It’s honestly been the best relationship you could possibly ever ask for growing up,” Webb said. “Seeing him produce like he does for the team and make plays behind me is something that’s like in a storybook.”

This story was originally published May 12, 2016 at 9:10 PM with the headline "Jonah Bride enjoying ‘storybook’ scenario at South Carolina."