C
Collyn Taylor
Guest
With summer baseball seasons almost over, I got a chance to talk to the 2019 class about how their seasons went, what they're working on and what they think of the new coaching staff. This is part one with part two coming out early next week.
Xavier Bussey, OF
He had a really good high school season, hitting over .400 for Garner Magnet High School (N.C.). He also had 17 RBI and eight stolen bases, and he’s a line-drive kind of hitter who can put pressure on defenses on the base path.
He attributes the good high school season to altering his approach and trying to stay the same in the batter’s box from at bat to at bat.
“Just staying efficient at the plate,” he said. “I’m just being consistent throughout the year and that’s something I pinpointed throughout the year.”
He’s gotten a chance to talk to new head coach Mark Kingston and recruiting coordinator Mike Current at tournaments this summer and said he really likes the energy around the program.
With still two years left in high school, he said he needs to work on his arm strength in the outfield. If he does, he could be one guy in the class who can make an impact early at South Carolina.
“Just [need to work on] being the best ball player I can possibly be,” he said. “I know the instruction at South Carolina is great and I’ll be in fine hands when I get there, but the more developed I am once I get there, the quicker I can start competing.”
Tyler Callihan, INF
Callihan is not only one of the best hitters in the Gamecocks’ class but in the country. He hit cleanup for his high school team this season and drove in a lot of runs this season with eight extra base hits.
An elite hitter, he’s rated the No. 25 overall prospect in the 2019 class. He hits for power and was named to the All Tournament Teams for two different PerfectGame tournaments this summer.
He’s still working on hitting opposite field, but is using this summer to work on that.
“Obviously every game you play isn’t going to have 90-plus pitching,” he said. “Mainly the games there’s slower pitching I think about letting it travel and hitting it the other way to drive it over the left fielder’s head.”
Talking about his hitting approach, he said he doesn’t look at a pitcher’s grip or anything in the box, just focuses on his approach.
“When I get up to the plate I pretty much know how he’s going to pitch me and I have an approach at the plate and I know what he’s going to throw me,” he said.
The only thing up in the air with him is where he’s going to play at the next level. He’s been told he can play almost any infield position.
People are telling him he can be a power third baseman, second base or, if he gets faster, a shortstop. Right now, he doesn’t have a preference.
“I grew up switching out every position,” Callihan said. “High school ball, I played mainly third and a few games at short. Then in the summer I switch off at short and second."
Jax Cash, C
Cash is the only committed catcher in the 2019 class, and committed to his “dream school” South Carolina when offered last year.
He’s the No. 1-rated catcher in South Carolina for the 2019 class and is spending his summer playing with Evoshield and fellow 2019 commit Will McGregor.
“Competition is at a high level, some of my teammates are going to be playing college ball, he said, “so it’s good to play against those guys.”
According to PerfectGame, he hit .286 in four this season. He’s talked with Kingston and has reaffirmed his commitment to South Carolina. Still with two years until he graduates, his main goal is to fill out and get bigger and stronger before getting to South Carolina.
“Just continue to develop my strength, my footwork behind the plate and make sure everything’s tightened up,” he said.
Kam Guidry, SS
Guidry is an interesting prospect with a lot of talent in that 2019 class. A middle infielder, he hit .380 this year and can really turn it loose on the bases.
He’s played a little this summer with fellow commit Tyler Kehoe, and he said his main goal before his junior year is to keep working on his speed and power offensively. He said he’s in the gym roughly three or four times a week working solely on this.
“I’ve been lifting a lot and I’ve been training with this place in Georgia called Rapid Sports,” he said. “Just trying to lift, get stronger in my legs and a little bit in my upper body.”
He’s a natural shortstop, rated the No. 55 overall shortstop in the country for that class. He talked about South Carolina’s tradition of turning out really good shortstops and said he wants to be like them.
“I want to get a little better defensively and a little more polished,” he said. “I know playing in front of the fans, an error’s pretty bad. I don’t want to make a lot of those.”
He’s talked with Coach Kingston as well, and is still 100 percent committed to South Carolina.
Tyler Kehoe, OF
Kehoe is another elite hitter in this class, hitting .340 with 11 RBI and seven extra bases this season.
He committed to South Carolina over other SEC schools and said one of his favorite players is Jackie Bradley Jr. He’s rated the No. 67 prospect nationally in the 2019 class and thinks his class can be a game changer.
“I love all the guys committed in the 2019 class,” he said. “We got a good group. There’s a really bright future coming to South Carolina. I think there’s a chance to get back to Omaha in a few years.”
Kehoe is a big bat in the 2019 class, rated as the No. 14 outfielder nationally, and says his approach is similar to Callihan’s.
He was named to the 2017 16U WWBA National Championship, one of the biggest baseball tournaments of the summer, All Tournament Team.
“When I’m up there, I try to do the least amount of thinking possible,” he said. “Baseball is a big mental game, so when I’m in the batter’s box, I just take a deep breath and I just look for the spin out of his hand.”
He’s been told to add muscle, so his focus this summer is to add strength and speed. He works out almost every day and when he’s not in the gym, he said he’s out taking extra swings off a tee or working in the field.
“You can’t take any off days if you want to play at South Carolina or above,” he said.
South Carolina is his dream school, he said, and the coaching staff really likes what he brings to the table as a player. He knows that if he attends school, he’ll come out better three years later.
Xavier Bussey, OF
He had a really good high school season, hitting over .400 for Garner Magnet High School (N.C.). He also had 17 RBI and eight stolen bases, and he’s a line-drive kind of hitter who can put pressure on defenses on the base path.
He attributes the good high school season to altering his approach and trying to stay the same in the batter’s box from at bat to at bat.
“Just staying efficient at the plate,” he said. “I’m just being consistent throughout the year and that’s something I pinpointed throughout the year.”
He’s gotten a chance to talk to new head coach Mark Kingston and recruiting coordinator Mike Current at tournaments this summer and said he really likes the energy around the program.
With still two years left in high school, he said he needs to work on his arm strength in the outfield. If he does, he could be one guy in the class who can make an impact early at South Carolina.
“Just [need to work on] being the best ball player I can possibly be,” he said. “I know the instruction at South Carolina is great and I’ll be in fine hands when I get there, but the more developed I am once I get there, the quicker I can start competing.”
Tyler Callihan, INF
Callihan is not only one of the best hitters in the Gamecocks’ class but in the country. He hit cleanup for his high school team this season and drove in a lot of runs this season with eight extra base hits.
An elite hitter, he’s rated the No. 25 overall prospect in the 2019 class. He hits for power and was named to the All Tournament Teams for two different PerfectGame tournaments this summer.
He’s still working on hitting opposite field, but is using this summer to work on that.
“Obviously every game you play isn’t going to have 90-plus pitching,” he said. “Mainly the games there’s slower pitching I think about letting it travel and hitting it the other way to drive it over the left fielder’s head.”
Talking about his hitting approach, he said he doesn’t look at a pitcher’s grip or anything in the box, just focuses on his approach.
“When I get up to the plate I pretty much know how he’s going to pitch me and I have an approach at the plate and I know what he’s going to throw me,” he said.
The only thing up in the air with him is where he’s going to play at the next level. He’s been told he can play almost any infield position.
People are telling him he can be a power third baseman, second base or, if he gets faster, a shortstop. Right now, he doesn’t have a preference.
“I grew up switching out every position,” Callihan said. “High school ball, I played mainly third and a few games at short. Then in the summer I switch off at short and second."
Jax Cash, C
Cash is the only committed catcher in the 2019 class, and committed to his “dream school” South Carolina when offered last year.
He’s the No. 1-rated catcher in South Carolina for the 2019 class and is spending his summer playing with Evoshield and fellow 2019 commit Will McGregor.
“Competition is at a high level, some of my teammates are going to be playing college ball, he said, “so it’s good to play against those guys.”
According to PerfectGame, he hit .286 in four this season. He’s talked with Kingston and has reaffirmed his commitment to South Carolina. Still with two years until he graduates, his main goal is to fill out and get bigger and stronger before getting to South Carolina.
“Just continue to develop my strength, my footwork behind the plate and make sure everything’s tightened up,” he said.
Kam Guidry, SS
Guidry is an interesting prospect with a lot of talent in that 2019 class. A middle infielder, he hit .380 this year and can really turn it loose on the bases.
He’s played a little this summer with fellow commit Tyler Kehoe, and he said his main goal before his junior year is to keep working on his speed and power offensively. He said he’s in the gym roughly three or four times a week working solely on this.
“I’ve been lifting a lot and I’ve been training with this place in Georgia called Rapid Sports,” he said. “Just trying to lift, get stronger in my legs and a little bit in my upper body.”
He’s a natural shortstop, rated the No. 55 overall shortstop in the country for that class. He talked about South Carolina’s tradition of turning out really good shortstops and said he wants to be like them.
“I want to get a little better defensively and a little more polished,” he said. “I know playing in front of the fans, an error’s pretty bad. I don’t want to make a lot of those.”
He’s talked with Coach Kingston as well, and is still 100 percent committed to South Carolina.
Tyler Kehoe, OF
Kehoe is another elite hitter in this class, hitting .340 with 11 RBI and seven extra bases this season.
He committed to South Carolina over other SEC schools and said one of his favorite players is Jackie Bradley Jr. He’s rated the No. 67 prospect nationally in the 2019 class and thinks his class can be a game changer.
“I love all the guys committed in the 2019 class,” he said. “We got a good group. There’s a really bright future coming to South Carolina. I think there’s a chance to get back to Omaha in a few years.”
Kehoe is a big bat in the 2019 class, rated as the No. 14 outfielder nationally, and says his approach is similar to Callihan’s.
He was named to the 2017 16U WWBA National Championship, one of the biggest baseball tournaments of the summer, All Tournament Team.
“When I’m up there, I try to do the least amount of thinking possible,” he said. “Baseball is a big mental game, so when I’m in the batter’s box, I just take a deep breath and I just look for the spin out of his hand.”
He’s been told to add muscle, so his focus this summer is to add strength and speed. He works out almost every day and when he’s not in the gym, he said he’s out taking extra swings off a tee or working in the field.
“You can’t take any off days if you want to play at South Carolina or above,” he said.
South Carolina is his dream school, he said, and the coaching staff really likes what he brings to the table as a player. He knows that if he attends school, he’ll come out better three years later.
