Gamecock pitching signee ready to compete for starter innings

SOUTH CAROLINA GAMECOCKS BASEBALL

When Brannon Jordan took his visit to South Carolina, he got to see a familiar face at Founders Park.

The two, along with former Gamecock turned Brewer Braden Webb, grew up together—their hometowns were nine miles apart—and through family friends and baseball they spent a lot of time together as they got older.

So when Jordan arrived at Founders Park to see what the Gamecocks had to offer, Bride laid out his best recruiting pitch.

“When I went on my visit Jonah was there with Coach (Skylar) Meade and Coach (Mike) Current and they took me around with him,” Jordan said. “It was just cool to see somebody that was a familiar face that really liked it. He told me how much he liked it and it was the best decision he ever made. That helped me.”

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The spiel from his childhood friend worked with Jordan committing soon after meeting with the coaching staff, following now in the footsteps of Bride and coming to South Carolina out of a junior college hoping to make an impact right away.

Jordan comes into a situation where a lot of innings, including a few starter spots, are up for grabs entering the 2020 year and—while he said he’s open to filling any role pitching coach Skylar Meade wants him to be in—thinks he could compete early for a rotation spot.

“I would definitely like to be. I’m not sure how I’ll be used when I get there. I think I can compete for it, but I want to be in a role that helps the team be more successful. Whatever role that is for me, I’ll try to do it to the best of my ability,” Jordan said.

“That’s really exciting. That’s a plus. I’m excited for that. I’m going to be mentally ready when I come in and physically ready, hopefully. I’m not going to take the summer off so I’m going to be ready to go when I get there.”

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The 6-foot-2, 190-pound pitcher is coming off a good year for Cowley College, going 9-2 with a 2.63 ERA and 82 strikeouts to 23 walks. He’d average 11.97 strikeouts per nine innings and throw a no-hitter in April.

He’s been up in the mid-90s on his fastball all year, topping out right around 94 miles per hour, but some of the other success he’s had he attributes to the development of a new breaking ball he’s gaining confidence in this season.

“My fastball’s good. My slider is progressing throughout the season, and it’s a pitch I just started throwing this winter,” Jordan said. “I just put that into my arsenal this winter, and I used it a lot this spring, it’s helped me a lot and it’s helped me get a lot of outs. It’s a breaking ball I can throw for strikes in any count.”

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Jordan was recently picked up in this week’s MLB Draft, going in the 31st round (No. 938 overall) to the Tampa Bay Rays. The plan, he said, was still to enroll at South Carolina and fulfill a lifelong dream of pitching in the SEC.

“It’s just a chance of scenery from junior college for sure. I’m ready to get out of the small town,” “I’ve always wanted play SEC baseball so that’s a plus for me. I want to get out there, see some real talent and see what it’s like.”