Gamecocks pick up two in-state arms to start week
Also see: Gamecock Secondary Preview | Monday's Insider Report
Two days, two in-state pitching commitments for the Gamecock baseball team.
South Carolina bolstered both its 2017 and 2018 classes with Cameron Tringali and Cameron Reeves committing this week.
Reeves (Northwestern) committed late Monday while Tringali (Cardinal Newman) tweeted he’s a Gamecock early Tuesday. Reeves recently toured campus, Aug. 21, and took visits to Coastal Carolina and College of Charleston.
“I’ve always admired USC ever since I was younger,” Reeves said. “I went to the college world series in 2010 when they first won, and I’ve admired them ever since. And when I visited, that sealed the deal. I loved it.”
The 6-foot-2, 185-pound right-hander joins fellow Northwestern classmate John Gilreath in the 2018 class. Gilreath said he’s “super excited” to play with Reeves.
The duo have been playing baseball together since they were about 10 years old, and Gilreath was a big reason why Reeves ultimately picked the Gamecocks.
“(Gilreath) called me every night trying to get me to come,” he said, laughing. “He wanted me bad. And he recruited me just as much as the Carolina coaches did. He helped me out with a lot of questions I had.”
Reeves is the eighth commitment in the 2018 class and second righty, joining Summerville’s Daniel Lloyd.
Reeves, much like Tringali, started fielding interest from colleges right after the Palmetto Games Aug. 13-14. He visited campus that week about a potential roster spot.
While he was also garnering interest from Presbyterian, Furman, USC-Upstate and Newberry, but nothing could compare to a Gamecock offer he called a "dream come true."
“It’s been a dream school of mine since I was a little kid going to games at Sarge Frye," Tringali said. "I’ve been growing up a Carolina baseball fan, so when the opportunity comes, it was something I couldn’t pass up on.”
Tringali was a staple for the Cardinal baseball team, winning nine games and pitching 64.2 innings. He had a 1.52 ERA with 81 strikeouts last season. He’s the 14th commitment in the 2017 class, and is the fifth right-hander.
He'll be on the team next season, when Wil Crowe, Josh Reagan and Reed Scott graduate and Clarke Schmidt and Tyler Johnson could leave for the pros.
He said he's not worried about early playing time, he's just excited about "getting to play at Founders Park, getting to play in that atmosphere."
I don't have a whole lot to compare it to" he said, "but it's one of the best baseball environments in the country."