South Carolina already had one Messina committed so why not land another?
The Gamecocks picked up a commitment Wednesday night from 2024 two-way player Carson Messina, who announced his decision on Twitter to commit to Mark Kingston and that staff.
He picked South Carolina over another offer from Clemson with both teams offering him this weekend.
“After this last weekend at the Palmetto Games, they both made me offers for a scholarship,” Messina said. “Ultimately I chose Carolina because of my relationships with the coaching staff and the past and present players and I trust what good things they said to me about Carolina.”
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Messina committed after his performance at the Palmetto Games, an event that showcases some of the best high school talent in the state, and becomes the third member of South Carolina’s 2024 recruiting class.
He’s the younger brother of Cole Messina, who is committed to South Carolina in the 2021 class.
“He was happy for me during the process and when I choose to commit he was even happier,” Messina said. “Cole being committed there made me have lots of trust in my decision.”
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Messina is being recruited as a two-way player as a pitcher and an infielder, primarily a third baseman, at the next level.
His fastball is in the 96th percentile for his class, getting into the low-to-mid 80s as a 1 year old.
He’s seen a lot of development in his fastball this summer and his speed this summer and is excited to see how that continues to grow as he gets into his freshman year at Summerville.
“My running speed and velo has grown the most,” Messina said. “(I’m) continuing to get bigger faster stronger and hope to help Summerville compete for state championship.”
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Messina is the third member of the class, joining infielders George Wolkow and Erik Parker, two potential top 100 prospects.
He’s still four years away from enrolling in classes at South Carolina but he’s more than excited committing to South Carolina.
“I’m excited to experience SEC baseball and the electric atmosphere at Founders Park,” he said. “Now that I’m committed the work starts now."
