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Feb. 2, 2015

COLUMBIA, S.C. – Freshman utility player Alex Destino earned third-team Preseason All-America honors from Baseball America as announced on Monday morning.

In his first season with the Gamecock program, Destino is expected to contribute both as a hitter and a pitcher. Destino is left-handed, was rated the No. 53 best high school prospect in the nation last year by Perfect Game and earned HS All-America honors from both Baseball America and Collegiate Baseball. As a senior in high school in 2014, he went 10-1 with a 1.43 ERA in 73.1 innings with 116 strikeouts and hit .529 with 15 homers and 43 RBI. He also played on the 2013 USA Baseball 18U National Team that won a gold medal at the 2013 IBAF `AAA’/18U World Cup in Taichung, Taiwan.

Baseball America surveys scouting directors and national crosscheckers to vote on the Preseason College All-America team.

South Carolina opens the 2015 season next week hosting College of Charleston in a three-game series beginning on Friday, Feb. 13 at 4 p.m. at Carolina Stadium.

Preseason First Team
C – Zack Collins, Miami
1B – Austin Byler, Nevada
2B – Dansby Swanson, Vanderbilt
SS – Alex Bregman, Louisiana State
3B – Sheldon Neuse, Oklahoma
OF – D.J. Stewart, Florida State
OF – Ian Happ, Cincinnati
OF – Gio Brusa, Pacific
UT – A.J. Puk, lhp/1b, Florida
SP – Nathan Kirby, lhp, Virgina
SP – Carson Fulmer, rhp, Vanderbilt
SP – Michael Matuella, rhp, Duke
SP – Kyle Funkhouser, rhp, Louisville
SP – Walker Buehler, rhp, Vanderbilt
RP – Riley Ferrell, rhp, Texas Christian
UT – A.J. Puk, lhp/1b, Florida

Preseason Second Team
C – Taylor Ward, Fresno State
1B – David Thompson, Miami
2B – Mark Mathias, Cal Poly
SS – Richie Martin, Florida
3B – Travis Maezes, Michigan
OF – Chris Shaw, Boston College
OF – Christin Stewart, Tennessee
OF – Joe McCarthy, Virgina
UT – Jacob Cronenworth, rhp/1b, Michigan
SP – James Kaprielian, rhp, UCLA
SP – Jake Lemonine, rhp, Houston
SP – *Phil Bickford, rhp, JC of Southern Nevada
RP – Dillon Tate, rhp, UC Santa Barbara
UT – Jacob Cronenworth, rhp/1b, Michigan
* Transferred from Cal State Fullerton

Preseason Third Team
C – Chris Okey, Clemson
1B – Sikes Orvis, Mississippi
2B – Scott Kingery, Arizona
SS – Blake Trahan, Louisiana-Lafayette
3B – Edwin Rios, Florida International
OF – Tate Matheny, Missouri State
OF – Steven Duggar, Clemson
OF – Skye Bolt, North Carolina
UT – Alex Destino, lhp/dh, South Carolina
SP – Kyle Cody, rhp, Kentucky
SP – Thomas Eshelman, rhp, CS Fullerton
SP – Cal Quantrill, rhp, Stanford
RP – Tyler Jay, lhp, Illinois
UT – Alex Destino, lhp/dh, South Carolina

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South Carolina won the NCAA Division I Baseball Championship in 2010 and 2011 at the College World Series. South Carolina has 11 College World Series appearances, including six in the last 13 years. The Gamecocks own the second-highest win total in the nation in the last 15 years (2000 to the present) with a 713-289 record. South Carolina is one of five schools to appear in the NCAA Regional every season in the last 15 years, including 11 NCAA Super Regional appearances in that span, one of only two schools to accomplish the feat.