Catching up with 2017 lefty Corey Stone

Mid-Carolina pitcher Corey Stone knew he had one goal coming into summer break: hopefully make a college decision near the beginning of July. And on July 6, he did just that, committing to South Carolina.

And with the big decision out of the way, he’s focusing on improving his game. After winning the American Legion World Series last summer with Chapin/Newberry, he returned to Post 193/24 this summer. He's also played with the Evoshield Canes.

“I’ve been doing Legion pretty much every day," Stone said. "When I’m not doing them, I played with the Canes a little bit in the Perfect Game tournament down in Atlanta. Other than that, I’m getting ready for the Palmetto games coming up at Carolina.”

***Not a GamecockCentral.com member and want to get all the scoop? SUBSCRIBE NOW!***

The lefty pitched in eight games (23.1 innings) with a 6.94 ERA and 28 strikeouts. He also hit .277 with seven RBIs.

He immersed himself in the game in hopes of getting more consistent.

“I’ve stayed around the game a lot to keep improving," he said. "I’ve probably played in about thirty or so weekend games this summer. We played at least three to four games a week, so that kept me in the game. And of course doing my own kind of work on my own time.”

Since Stone’s verbally aligned with South Carolina, he’s been able to reach out and talk to other Gamecock pledges. When he was in South Carolina’s American Legion tournament, he played against Sumter’s P-15’s and fellow Gamecock commit Jordan Holladay.

Chapin/Newberry would win the game and Stone finished going 2-for-4 with a run and two RBIs.

“I messed with him a little bit since he was playing third base,” Stone said. “So I messed with him every single time I was down there. It was fun getting to compete with him knowing he was going to be one of my teammates.”

Stone is a 6-foot, 175 pound lefty who doubles as a quarterback for Mid-Carolina in the fall. He’ll be playing in the Palmetto Classic mid-August before focusing on his senior football season.

There are eight pitchers including Stone in the 2017, and four lefties. Last week, two former Gamecock commitments Cole Beavin and Hunter Ruth decommitted with Beavin going to East Carolina and Ruth to Florida.

He reaffirmed he’s “for sure” committed to South Carolina, saying the last time he talked to rival coaches was when he told them he’s committing. His relationship with the coaches is strong and says he’s been in communication with them all summer.

“They’ve gotten out to see me play a couple times since I made my commitment and we’ve stayed in pretty good touch,” he said. “We talk about once or twice a week, and I have good communication with them all the time.”

Never miss a moment with the GamecockCentral app: App Store - Google Play