C
Collyn Taylor
Guest
South Carolina picked up a commitment this weekend from RHP Austin Williamson, an instant impact kind of player in the 2022 class.
Williamson was an Alabama commitment and backed off his pledge before committing to South Carolina on July 4. He spoke some with Vanderbilt and Clemson but the main competition was North Carolina but the Gamecocks were Williamson's top choice after de-committing.
While he's from North Carolina, Williamson has family in Columbia and would grow up attending South Carolina football games and knew once he was not committed the Gamecocks would be tough to beat if they ultimately offered. They did, and also hosted Williamson and his family on an unofficial visit recently where he was able to see the schools and facilities.
Williamson actually took an unofficial visit to campus for the NCAA Tournament game against Old Dominion and fell in love with the atmosphere that night. His relationship with pitching coach Skylar Meade was also a big factor in him committing to South Carolina, mentioning Meade was incredibly relatable during the process and built a good relationship with Williamson, which certainly did not hurt the Gamecocks' chances.
As for what Williamson will bring on the field, he's someone who can be an impact guy as part of the class. He's been up to 92 miles per hour on his fastball with a changeup and curveball to go with it. The staff loves his competitiveness and his pitching mechanics, and he's able to locate on both sides of the plate with some good pitch-ability. Plus, as he gets into a collegiate weight room his velocity will go up as well. He's already listed at 6-foot-4, 220 pounds.
PerfectGame considers him the No. 101 player in the 2022 class and the No. 32 overall pitcher. Right now PerfectGame has South Carolina as the No. 13 class for the 2022 cycle.
Williamson was an Alabama commitment and backed off his pledge before committing to South Carolina on July 4. He spoke some with Vanderbilt and Clemson but the main competition was North Carolina but the Gamecocks were Williamson's top choice after de-committing.
While he's from North Carolina, Williamson has family in Columbia and would grow up attending South Carolina football games and knew once he was not committed the Gamecocks would be tough to beat if they ultimately offered. They did, and also hosted Williamson and his family on an unofficial visit recently where he was able to see the schools and facilities.
Williamson actually took an unofficial visit to campus for the NCAA Tournament game against Old Dominion and fell in love with the atmosphere that night. His relationship with pitching coach Skylar Meade was also a big factor in him committing to South Carolina, mentioning Meade was incredibly relatable during the process and built a good relationship with Williamson, which certainly did not hurt the Gamecocks' chances.
As for what Williamson will bring on the field, he's someone who can be an impact guy as part of the class. He's been up to 92 miles per hour on his fastball with a changeup and curveball to go with it. The staff loves his competitiveness and his pitching mechanics, and he's able to locate on both sides of the plate with some good pitch-ability. Plus, as he gets into a collegiate weight room his velocity will go up as well. He's already listed at 6-foot-4, 220 pounds.
PerfectGame considers him the No. 101 player in the 2022 class and the No. 32 overall pitcher. Right now PerfectGame has South Carolina as the No. 13 class for the 2022 cycle.
