What led a JUCO All-American to commit to South Carolina

SOUTH CAROLINA GAMECOCKS BASEBALL

For Anthony Amicangelo, even he admitted his recruitment was a little hectic.

The junior college outfielder de-committed from Washington State about a month ago, needing to find a landing spot quick knowing school started up in mid-August.

It didn’t take him long though, with the JUCO All-American outfielder finding a home at South Carolina after being blown away with the Gamecocks during the recruitment process.

“The coaching staff here at USC is first class and was straightforward with me from start to finish,” Amicangelo told GamecockCentral. “From the many phone calls I could tell they valued my skills as a player, and could see me being an impact player upon my arrival. Once I visited campus and got to see everything that’s when I knew I wanted to be a gamecock. Columbia is a beautiful place to call home and the facilities at Founders Park are second to none. It felt like home.”

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Amicangelo had a host of suitors coming after him but shaved his list down to South Carolina and Central Florida, the only two schools he took a visit to once he reopened his recruitment.

He took a visit to Columbia at the beginning of June and from there he was able to see all of the things Mark Kingston and his staff had to offer.

“The thing that stood out the most was the player development that they do,” he said. “Countless hours are spent between the coaches and players finding ways to get faster, stronger, hit the ball harder, hit it further, move better in the swing, seeing all of that first hand was a moment of assurance that if I come here I will be taken care of and can really take my game to the next level. The strength coach and what their guys do during the offseason will also play into that and I think from August till the first game in February guys will make huge strides being exposed to this development.”

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Amicangelo thinks it could be a perfect fit next season, coming in as a junior, with him hoping the Gamecocks can develop him to be ready for professional baseball and the Gamecocks hoping the 5-foot-10, 205-pound outfielder can offer up a tough at-bat at the top of the order.

He’s already produced at the junior college level, hitting .492/.556/.768 with six homers and 68 RBI last season for Johnson County (Kan.) Community College.

“They like that I’m a tough out at the plate, see a lot of pitches, have a high on base percentage and consistently hit the ball hard,” he said. ‘They have a high need in the outfield this year so the plan is for me to come in and do what I do. Nothing’s guaranteed but we both agreed that I can be a big contributor this year and earn a starting role.”

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Amicangelo is one of two outfielder commitments in the 2019 class, joining another junior college player in Noah Myers, who committed in October.

For Amicangelo, he’s been on a visit but has never seen Founders Park for a game, so he’s ready to see what that’s like this year and see what kind of season he can have playing in the SEC.

“I heard the fans are awesome and very supportive of the players,” he said. “I have never experienced anything like that and it’s just another honor that comes along with being a gamecock. On the baseball side it appears to be very hitter friendly so I am pumped to have that as the home park and see what kind of offensive numbers I can put up.”