June 8, 2014
COLUMBIA, S.C. – South Carolina finished the 2014 MLB Draft with seven players selected tying for the eighth highest total in the nation including five players in the first 11 rounds.
Junior catcher Grayson Greiner was selected by the Detroit Tigers in the 3rd round of the 2014 MLB Draft. Greiner was the No. 99 overall selection. Greiner was named the 2013-14 USC Co-Male Student-Athlete of the Year alongside Gamecock football/basketball standout Bruce Ellington. Greiner has been recognized in the baseball circles as well as he was a semifinalist for the Johnny Bench Award for the top catcher in college baseball and was on USA Baseball’s Midseason Watch List for the Golden Spikes Award. Greiner earned SEC All-Defensive team honors fielding .995 this year at catcher with just two errors. He also recently was named to the CoSIDA Academic All-America second team. Greiner played in 60 games with 58 starts, hit .311 (66-for-212) with 39 runs scored, 50 RBI, 13 doubles and eight homers, also a .389 on-base percentage and a .486 slugging mark. Greiner hit a team-best .327 (37-for-113) in league games with four homers and 24 RBI vs. SEC teams. Greiner was named SEC Player of the Week on March 31 after his play in the Tennessee series. Greiner hit a walk-off grand slam with two outs in the bottom of the 9th inning to lift South Carolina to a 9-6 win over Tennessee. His play along with Jordan Gore’s walk-off homer was No. 1 on ESPN’s SportsCenter’s Top 10 Plays of the Day. Greiner’s career .994 fielding percentage is the best percentage by a Gamecock catcher in school history (1168 PO, 97 A, 7 E).
Junior left-handed pitcher Jordan Montgomery was selected by the New York Yankees in the 4th round of the 2014 MLB Draft. Montgomery was the No. 122 overall selection. Montgomery is one of 22 pitchers in South Carolina history with 20 or more wins as he has posted a 20-7 record in his Gamecock career. This past year, Montgomery led the way on the pitching staff with a 8-5 record and a 3.42 ERA in a team-high 100 innings pitched. He struck out a team-high 95 batters and opponents batted .244 against him. Montgomery was very successful in the postseason for the Gamecocks. He has a career postseason record of 5-0 with a 0.93 ERA in five postseason starts, surrendering just four runs on 20 hits in 38.2 innings. He allowed just three walks while fanning 35 batters in wins over Clemson and Arkansas in 2012, Liberty and North Carolina in 2013 and Campbell in 2014.
Junior infielder Joey Pankake was selected by the Detroit Tigers in the 7th round of the 2014 MLB Draft. Pankake was the No. 220 overall selection. Pankake became the 26th player in school history to tally 200 or more hits with a double in the second inning of the Florida game at the SEC Tournament on May 22. He finished his career with 204 hits in the Garnet & Black. Pankake started 58 games in 2014 and hit .303 (67-for-221) with a team-high 52 runs scored, 11 doubles, five homers and 31 RBI as well as a .394 on-base percentage with 30 walks to 21 strikeouts Pankake hit an identical .303 (36-for-119) in SEC games, second-best on the team with 18 RBI and 19 runs scored. Pankake earned SEC All-Defensive team honors at third base as well.
Junior outfielder Tanner English was selected by the Minnesota Twins in the 11th round of the 2014 MLB Draft. English was the No. 320 overall selection. English manned the center field position the entire year starting all 62 games. English hit .284 (61-for-215) with 30 runs scored, nine doubles, a triple, a homer and 25 RBI. He owned a .349 on-base percentage and led the team with 21 stolen bases. He was named to the SEC All-Defensive team.
Junior right-handed pitcher Joel Seddon was selected by the Oakland Athletics in the 11th round of the 2014 MLB Draft. Seddon was the No. 342 overall selection. Seddon was a second team All-SEC reliever with 14 saves. He finished the season with a 3-2 record and a 1.66 ERA in 48.2 innings pitched.
Junior first baseman Kyle Martin was selected by the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim in the 20th round of the 2014 MLB Draft. Martin was the No. 599 overall selection. Martin started all 62 games and was the Gamecocks’ leading hitter in 2014 with a .336 average (82-for-244) with 35 runs scored, 11 doubles, five homers and 38 RBI. Martin led the Gamecocks with 24 multi-hit games.
Junior right-handed pitcher Evan Beal was selected by Kansas City Royals in the 21st round of the 2014 MLB Draft. Beal was the No. 633 overall selection. Beal finished the season with a 3.29 ERA in 13.2 innings pitched.
