C
Collyn Taylor
Guest
South Carolina picked up a commitment last night from RHP Travis Luensmann, the No. 294 pitcher in the 2020 class.
I talked with him for a little this afternoon and this is what I was able to glean about his process and his game:
He popped up on the Gamecocks' radar a few weeks ago at a travel ball event in Georgia and the two worked quickly through a process that ended in Luensmann committing to the Gamecocks. The coaching staff hosted him on a visit and Mark Kingston even FaceTimed in from Taiwain, which really went a long way for him.
Early in the recruitment process, he admitted he really wanted to end up at Clemson and there was some mutual interest but ultimately that didn't work out and he chose South Carolina. He was also receiving interest from Wake Forest and Penn State but South Carolina was the best fit for him.
Remains to be seen obviously how high he'll go in the draft, but right now it looks like he'll be on campus. Things could obviously change though and the draft is still a year away for him.
In terms of his game, he has a four-pitch mix but is mostly fastball-changeup with a curveball that's really come along recently (he also throws a slider).
He's topped out at 95 mph on his fastball but sits 92-95. His frame at 6-foot-6 is really projectable and guys that tall usually add a few miles per hour once they get to college and start filling out a little more. Plus, at that tall, the ball is usually a little more lively with the release point closer to the plate.
I talked with him for a little this afternoon and this is what I was able to glean about his process and his game:
He popped up on the Gamecocks' radar a few weeks ago at a travel ball event in Georgia and the two worked quickly through a process that ended in Luensmann committing to the Gamecocks. The coaching staff hosted him on a visit and Mark Kingston even FaceTimed in from Taiwain, which really went a long way for him.
Early in the recruitment process, he admitted he really wanted to end up at Clemson and there was some mutual interest but ultimately that didn't work out and he chose South Carolina. He was also receiving interest from Wake Forest and Penn State but South Carolina was the best fit for him.
Remains to be seen obviously how high he'll go in the draft, but right now it looks like he'll be on campus. Things could obviously change though and the draft is still a year away for him.
In terms of his game, he has a four-pitch mix but is mostly fastball-changeup with a curveball that's really come along recently (he also throws a slider).
He's topped out at 95 mph on his fastball but sits 92-95. His frame at 6-foot-6 is really projectable and guys that tall usually add a few miles per hour once they get to college and start filling out a little more. Plus, at that tall, the ball is usually a little more lively with the release point closer to the plate.
