June 8, 2011

Columbia, S.C. – South Carolina junior left-handed pitcher/outfielder Steven Neff was selected in the 41st round of the 2011 MLB Draft as the No. 1,257 overall pick by the San Francisco Giants. Neff is the ninth current Gamecock to be drafted this year. Jackie Bradley Jr. was selected in the supplemental round by the Boston Red Sox with Matt Price a sixth round selection by the Arizona Diamondbacks and Scott Wingo an 11th round selection by the Los Angeles Dodgers. Peter Mooney was selected in the 21st round by the Toronto Blue Jays with senior right-hander John Taylor selected in the 22nd round by the Seattle Mariners, Adam Matthews in the 23rd round by the Baltimore Orioles and Bryan Harper in the 30th round by the Washington Nationals. The Cleveland Indians earlier selected Michael Roth today in the 31st round.

Neff is 3-1 on the year with a 2.45 ERA in 12 games and seven starts. He has hurled 36.2 innings with 29 strikeouts and just 29 hits allowed. Neff has also provided a power bat as he hit a solo home run in the 11-5 win over Stetson in the NCAA Regional. He also had a solo home run that helped Carolina in the 3-2 victory at Alabama. Neff was a key bat for Carolina in the series victory over Arkansas. In the 6-5 win, Neff hit his first career home run, a two-run shot, and was 3-for-4 with a double as well as Carolina defeated the Razorbacks. Neff followed that up with three more hits in Sunday’s 7-1 victory including two more home runs, only the second time this season that a Gamecock player has had two home runs in a game. At the plate for the season, Neff is hitting .258 with 11 of his 16 hits, extra base hits (six doubles, five homers).

2011 – Solo home run in 11-5 win over Stetson in NCAA Regional (6/4) … Solo home run in 3-2 win at Alabama (5/21) … Two-homer game with three hits and three RBI in the 7-1 win over Arkansas (5/15) … 3-for-4 with a homer and two RBI in 6-5 win over Arkansas (5/14) … Allowed just one run on five hits with five strikeouts to pick up win in 6-1 victory over Presbyterian (5/10) … 2-for-4 with two doubles in 7-6 loss at Ole Miss (5/6) … 1-for-3 with a run scored in 7-3 win over Auburn (5/1) … 1.2 scoreless innings with three strikeouts in 8-3 win over College of Charleston (4/19) … Made first career start as a position player at DH; also played left field in 5-3 win vs. Vanderbilt (4/17); key double to get seventh inning rally going … First start back from bicep soreness was at The Citadel (4/12); allowed two runs on two hits in 3.1 innings in 2-0 loss to the Bulldogs … Quality start in 2-1 win over Georgia (3/19); allowed just one run on three hits in career-high seven innings of work with four strikeouts … Pitched one perfect inning in 8-4 win over Wofford (3/16) … Earned second win of the season in 5-2 win over CSU Bakersfield (3/12); allowed one run on four hits in 5.1 innings with a pair of strikeouts … Hurled four scoreless innings in first start of the year, a predetermined split and earned win in 14-1 victory over Furman (3/1; allowed just two hits and struck out career-high seven batters … Allowed three runs in 1.2 innings of relief with two strikeouts in 12-5 win over Santa Clara (2/18)

2010 – Hurled 0.1 innings of relief in 4-3 loss to Oklahoma at the College World Series (6/20) … Hurled 0.1 innings of relief with a strikeout in 10-9 win over Coastal Carolina at NCAA Super Regional (6/13) … Picked up second win of the season with one perfect inning of relief in 11-6 win vs. Furman (5/18) … Struck out one batter in 0.2 scoreless innings in 5-3 win at Arkansas (5/16) … Struck out lone batter he faced in 10-2 win over Charleston Southern (5/12) … 1.2 scoreless innings of relief in 9-7 win over Alabama (4/30) … 0.1 scoreless inning of relief with a strikeout in 5-4 loss to Ole Miss (4/18) … 0.1 perfect inning of relief in 10-4 win at The Citadel (4/14) … Pitched one perfect inning of relief with a strikeout in 10-6 loss at Auburn (3/28) … Earned first career win with 1.2 perfect innings of relief in 5-3 win over Duquesne (2/21).

2009 – Pitched 2.2 scoreless innings with just one hit allowed vs. East Carolina in NCAA Regional (5/31) … Hurled 1.1 scoreless innings of relief in 4-1 loss to LSU at SEC Tournament (5/22) … Hurled 0.1 innings of relief in 9-2 win over USC Upstate (5/12) … Made first career appearance on mound at Tennessee (5/9), did not allow a run in 0.2 innings of work, struck out one batter … 2009 SEC Academic Honor Roll member.