Oct. 25, 2012
Columbia, S.C. – South Carolina baseball’s recruiting class has been ranked No. 16 in the nation as announced by Baseball America on Thursday morning. This year’s class features 15 newcomers.
“We are excited about our newcomers,” said South Carolina head coach Chad Holbrook. “It’s a balanced class made up of four junior college players and 11 high school standouts. We fee like (Jack) Wynkoop and (Curt) Britt gives us two elite arms that will be ready to pitch in big moments right away. Max Schrock, according to many professional scouts, was one of the best high school hitters that chose to attend school. Also a polished defender, he will factor in from day one. In (George) Iskenderian and (DC) Arendas, we feel that we have polished baseball players that will push for playing time immediately. (Ryan) Ripken, a 20th rounder, had a great summer in a collegiate summer league. A polished defender, Ryan will compete for our first base job. Our JC signees, (Graham) Saiko and (Zack) Smith, will help us offensively from day one. We feel really good about the depth, versatility and experience of our class.”
The class was also ranked No. 10 in the nation by Collegiate Baseball earlier in the year.
2012 GAMECOCK BASEBALL NEWCOMERS
DC Arendas – INF – Greensboro, N.C. (Northern Guilford HS)
– Rated No. 372 best high school prospect in the nation and No. 10 best high school prospect in state of North Carolina by Perfect Game USA
– Named by Perfect Game USA to 2012 Rawlings Preseason Atlantic All-Region First Team
– 2012 NCBCA 3A All-State team (North Carolina Baseball Coaches Association)
– Hit .460 (29-for-63) as a senior in 2012 with 22 runs scored and eight doubles
– Played for Dirtbags AAU team, named captain for the 2012 season
– Also lettered in basketball
– Father Dave Arendas played at North Carolina
Curt Britt – RHP/1B – Laurinburg, N.C. (Scotland HS)
– Rated No. 152 best high school prospect in the nation and No. 4 best high school prospect in state of North Carolina by Perfect Game USA
– Named by Collegiate Baseball to 2012 Louisville Slugger HS All-All-American First Team
– 2012 NCBCA 4A Player of the Year (North Carolina Baseball Coaches Association)
– 2010 & 2011 & 2012 NCBCA 4A All-State team
– As a senior in 2012, went 8-0 and compiled a 0.48 ERA in 56.0 innings pitched with 70 strikeouts and eight walks allowed
– Named by Perfect Game USA as 2012 Rawlings Preseason All-America Third Team
– Played in 2011 Under Armour All-America Game at Wrigley Field
– 2011 Perfect Game USA Preseason HS Underclassmen All-American First Team
– Pitched for Evoshield Canes Baseball AAU team that won the 2010 16-U World Wood Bat National Championship
– Father Tommy Britt was his high school baseball coach and is currently athletics director at Scotland HS
Austin Hill – RHP – Columbia, S.C. (Spring Valley HS)
– Rated No. 15 best right-handed pitcher in state of South Carolina by Diamond Prospects
– Played for Diamond Devils AAU team
– Also lettered in football at quarterback
George Iskenderian – INF – Englewood Cliffs, N.J. (Don Bosco Prep)
– Rated No. 321 best high school prospect in the nation and No. 3 best high school prospect in state of New Jersey by Perfect Game USA
– 2012 All-Bergen County and 2012 North Jersey All-Star
– As a senior in 2012, hit .448 (30-for-67) with six doubles and two triples while scoring 24 runs
– Helped lead Don Bosco Prep to 2012 NJSIAA North Jersey, Non-Public A title and played for state championship
– Named by Perfect Game USA as 2012 Rawlings Preseason Northeast All-Region First Team
– Earned 2011 All-Big North honors
– As a junior in 2011, hit .421 with 28 RBIs
– As a sophomore in 2010, hit .356
– Played for South Florida Bandits AAU team
Tyler Jackson – RHP – Piedmont, S.C. (Wren HS)
– 2011 and 2012 South Carolina AAAA All-State honors
– 2012 SC North/South 1A-4A All-Star Game
– As a senior in 2012, went 8-2 with a 1.64 ERA and 47 strikeouts
– Rated No. 16 best high school prospect in state of South Carolina by Perfect Game USA
– Rated No. 7 right-handed pitcher in state of South Carolina by Diamond Prospects
– Named by Perfect Game USA as 2012 Rawlings Preseason Atlantic All-Region Second Team
– Played for Blue Chip Bulls AAU team
Ray Murphy – C/OF – Lexington, S.C. (White Knoll HS)
– 2012 South Carolina AAAA All-State honors
– 2012 SC North/South 1A-4A All-Star Game
– As a senior in 2012, hit .456 with nine homers and 36 RBI as well as 34 runs scored
– Rated No. 17 best prospect in state of South Carolina by Perfect Game USA
– Rated No. 5 best catcher in state of South Carolina by Diamond Prospects
– Played for Upstate Mavericks AAU team
Kris Nelson – RHP – Camden, S.C. (Florence-Darlington Tech)
– 2012 Region X Relief Pitcher of the Year
– Helped lead Florence Darlington Tech to 2012 Region X regular season championship
– As a sophomore in junior college in 2012, went 2-0 with a 2.31 ERA in 27.1 innings with 16 saves
– As a freshman in junior college in 2011, went 3-0 with a 0.61 ERA in 29.2 innings with nine saves
Anthony Paulsen – OF – Columbia, S.C. (Spring Valley HS)
– As a senior in 2012, hit .352 with a .508 on-base percentage
Weber Pike – C/UTIL – Beaufort, S.C. (Beaufort HS)
– 2012 South Carolina AAAA All-State honors
– 2012 SC North/South 1A-4A All-Star Game
– 2012 Beaufort Gazette/Island Packet All-Area Baseball Player of the Year
– Rated No. 8 best prospect in state of South Carolina by Perfect Game USA
– As a senior in 2012, batted .544 with 20 RBI
– Named by Perfect Game USA as 2012 Rawlings Preseason Atlantic All-Region Second Team
– Rated No. 6 best third baseman in state of South Carolina by Diamond Prospects
– As a junior in 2011, hit .385 with nine doubles and 17 RBI
– Played for Diamond Devils AAU team
Ryan Ripken – 1B – Baltimore, Md. (Gilman School)
– MLB Draft Selection (20th round/Baltimore Orioles)
– Played for Youses Orioles of the Cal Ripken Collegiate Baseball League in the summer of 2012; named to the All-Star team, finished the summer hitting .267 with four doubles, a triple, two homers and 21 RBI
– Rated No. 312 best high school prospect in the nation and top high school prospect in the state of Maryland by Perfect Game USA
– 2012 Maryland Interscholastic Athletic Association All-Star
– 2012 Baltimore Sun All-Metro First Team
– As a senior in 2012, hit .377 with 25 RBI and 20 runs scored, also went 4-1 on the mound with a 2.30 ERA
– Named by Perfect Game USA as 2012 Rawlings Preseason Atlantic All-Region First Team
– Also lettered in basketball
– Father Cal Ripken Jr. played baseball for the Baltimore Orioles
Graham Saiko – INF – Newburgh, Ind. (Tallahassee CC)
– Played this past summer in 2012 with the Columbia Blowfish of the Coastal Plain League; helped lead team to Petit Cup Championship with a .288 average (49-for-166) with four homers and 24 RBI
– Played for Tallahassee Community College in 2012
– Named to 2012 All-Panhandle Conference First Team, also was named Defensive Player of the Year
– In 2012, hit .342 in 48 games with a homer and 43 RBI. Also posted a team-high 21 doubles and stole 20 bases in 21 attempts.
Max Schrock – INF – Chapel Hill, N.C. (Cardinal Gibbons HS)
– 2012 MLB Draft Selection (28th round/Arizona Diamondbacks)
– Rated No. 151 best high school prospect in the nation and No. 3 best high school prospect in state of North Carolina by Perfect Game USA
– Named by Perfect Game USA as 2012 Rawlings Preseason Atlantic All-Region First Team
– 2010 & 2012 NCBCA 3A All-State team (North Carolina Baseball Coaches Association)
– 2010 & 2012 Carolina 6 3A All-Conference Player of the Year
– Played for Evoshield Canes Baseball AAU that wont he 2010 16-U World Wood Bat National Championship
Zack Smith – OF/1B – Lexington, S.C. (USC Sumter)
– 2012 All-NJCAA Region X First Team
– Hit .318 (62-for-195) with nine homers as a sophomore at USC Sumter in 2012
– Played for the Columbia Blowfish in both 2011 and 2012 in the Coastal Plain League; helped lead team to Petit Cup Championship this past summer
– Named by Baseball America in 2011 as the fourth best prospect in the Coastal Plain League; 2011 CPL All-Star as well
– In 2011, hit .354 for the Blowfish (79-for-223) with 11 HR and 46 RBI. Also 15 doubles.
Cameron Tewksbury – LHP – Okeechobee, Fla. (Tallahassee CC)
– Went 5-5 with a 2.84 ERA in 76.0 innings with just 64 hits allowed and 58 strikeouts as a sophomore at Tallahassee CC in 2012
– 2012 All-Panhandle Conference Second Team
Jack Wynkoop – LHP – Virginia Beach, Va. (Cape Henry Collegiate)
– Rated No. 146 best high school prospect in the nation and No. 6 best high school prospect in state of Virginia by Perfect Game USA
– 2012 VISAA Division II Player of the Year
– 2010 & 2012 VISAA Division II All-State First Team
– As a senior in 2012, went 8-0 with a 0.54 ERA in 64 innings with 80 strikeouts to just seven walks
– Helped lead Cape Henry to state championship pitching a complete game and scoring the winning run
– 2011 & 2012 Tidewater Conference Player of the Year; also earned All-TCIS honors
– Named by Perfect Game USA as 2012 Rawlings Preseason Atlantic All-Region First Team
– Most recently played for Orioles Scout AAU team
2012 NCAA DIVISION I RECRUITING RANKINGS
By Baseball America
1. Vanderbilt
2. UCLA
3. Georgia
4. Alabama
5. North Carolina
6. Stanford
7. Texas
8. Arizona State
9. Auburn
10. Miami (Fla.)
11. Texas Christian
12. UC Santa Barbara
13. Clemson
14. LSU
15. Texas A&M
16. South Carolina
17. Fresno State
18. Kentucky
19. Southern California
20. Tennessee
21. Arkansas
22. Florida
23. Cal State Fullerton
24. Missouri
25. Arizona
—————
South Carolina won the NCAA Division I Baseball Championship in 2010 and 2011 at the College World Series as well as a national runner-up finish in 2012. South Carolina has 11 College World Series appearances including six in the last 11 years. Carolina owns the second-highest win total in the nation in the last 13 years with a 626-251 record. South Carolina is one of six schools to appear in the NCAA Regional every season in the last 13 years including 10 NCAA Super Regional appearances in that span, one of only two schools to accomplish the feat.
Carolina owns more overall wins than any SEC team in the last 13 years and more conference wins than any SEC team in the last 13 years with a 240-148 record. South Carolina is the only SEC school to record 40 or more wins each season from 2000-present and the only SEC school to reach the NCAA Regional every season in the last 13 years.
