Baseball's Messina Named to the All-SEC Tournament Team
HOOVER – University of South Carolina junior catcher Cole Messina was named to the All-SEC Tournament team, it was announced after the championship game this afternoon (Sunday, May 27).
Messina broke the SEC Tournament record for RBI with 16 in the five games played by the Gamecocks. He went 9-for-16 with nine runs scored, a double, four home runs and eight walks, good for a .680 on-base percentage. He had a double and a home run with three hits in Tuesday’s win over Alabama, then had two home runs and five RBI in the win over Arkansas on Wednesday. Messina drove in six runs, which included a grand slam, Thursday against LSU and ended the tournament Saturday with two more RBI against the Tigers.
Carolina went 3-2 in the SEC Tournament, defeating Alabama, Arkansas and Kentucky to make it to the semifinals.
Messina is the first Gamecock to make the All-Tournament team since current student assistant coach LT Tolbert in 2018.
Carolina will find out its opponent and location for its first game of the NCAA regionals with the NCAA Tournament selection show Monday afternoon (May 27) at noon on ESPN2.
2024 All-SEC Tournament Team
P: Luke Holman, LSU
P: Brooks Auger, Mississippi State
C: Cole Messina, South Carolina
DH: Hayden Travinski, LSU
1B: Blake Burke, Tennessee
2B: Steven Milam, LSU
3B: Tommy White, LSU
SS: Michael Braswell III, LSU
OF: Connor Hujsak, Mississippi State
OF: Kavares Tears, Tennessee
OF: Calvin Hewett, Vanderbilt
Most Valuable Player: Blake Burke, Tennessee