Connor McCreery Filling Void In Gamecock Bullpen

Andrew Lyon | May 6, 2024

The South Carolina Gamecocks celebrate two runs on the Florida Gators in the top of the sixth inning / Cyndi Chambers Sports/Special to the

To this point in the season, South Carolina's baseball team has struggled to maintain consistency on the mound. Outside of pre-Kentucky Eli Jones and the recent performances from Dylan Eskew, the weekend rotation has been a revolving door. The bullpen has endured even more instability at times, with the staff relying heavily on veteran arms like Ty Good, Garrett Gainey, and Chris Veach to keep opposing batting lineups at bay. However, there's one name that hasn't garnered as much attention as those aforementioned guys that deserves high praise for how he's stepped up this season: Connor McCreery. Connor only faced 15 batters in his freshman campaign in 2023 and allowed seven of them to reach base. In 15 total appearances this season (19 innings pitched), opponents only reach base 30.3 percent of the time when facing McCreery.

The New York native struggled against Ole Miss back on March 16th, giving up four earned runs in just two-thirds of an inning against the Rebels. Since that outing, Connor has only given up three earned runs in 12 and a third innings pitched. McCreery has proven that he can be brought in to get Carolina out of a jam or pitch multiple late-game innings to help close things out. The P27 Academy product has learned how to use his towering 6'6' frame to his advantage, spotting his fastball on the outside part of the zone and letting the drop on his breaking pitches do all the work for him. If the Gamecocks make a noteworthy postseason run this coming June, Connor McCreery will likely be a big reason why.

You Might Also Like:

• A Breakdown Of The Outfield For South Carolina's Baseball Team
• A Breakdown Of The Infield For South Carolina's Baseball Team
• FINAL: Gamecocks Mount Late-Game Comeback To Clinch Series Victory Over The Missouri Tigers

Join the community:

• Follow Andrew Lyon on X: @ALyon_SC
• Follow Locked On Gamecocks on Youtube or wherever you get your podcasts

You can follow us for future coverage by clicking "Follow" on the top right-hand corner of the page. Also, be sure to like us on Facebook @GamecocksDigest & follow us on X at @GamecocksDigest.