The new face of South Carolina’s pitching staff has left his mark on the team in a short period of time.
Skylar Meade came to the Gamecocks with hopes to establish strong relationships with the players as they grow and develop throughout their collegiate pitching career.
There has been nothing but positivity and gratitude from the rest of the coaching staff towards Meade. Head coach Mark Kingston is satisfied with the hiring of their new pitching coach, despite the loss of former pitching coach Jerry Meyers. Meyers took a leave of absence from the team due to a medical issue.
In his latest press conference, Kingston acknowledged that even though Meyers would always be a part of South Carolina baseball, he expects Meade to be a great addition.
“If we had to replace him I think Skylar Meade has been the absolute perfect fit,” Kingston said.
Since Meade arrived, he has been focused on player development. He wants to make make sure they've got the stamina to finish strong in tight games and secure wins. Despite losing their dominate closer Tyler Johnson to the 2017 MLB Draft, Meade has worked hard to build up his current crew, and Kingston has noticed the difference.
“When a guys is out there on the mound, he needs to walk out there like he’s expecting to dominate," Kingston said, "and I know that Coach Meade will take care of that.”
The reception from the pitching staff has also been positive. One of Meade’s goals when coming to South Carolina was to adapt to the system and adjust his coaching style accordingly. According to Kingston, there has not been a problem with the Meade adjusting to the program.
“It’s been great. Our pitchers love him,” said Kingston.
Experts praised the amount of talent that Meade will bring to South Carolina pitching following his hire.
Meade comes to the Gamecocks after three seasons at Michigan State as pitching coach, where the Spartans had the Big Ten's best ERA in 2016. He hopes to bring that same style and success to the mound at Founders Park with a very young pitching staff. If he is able to reach all levels of pitchers through coaching in new lively way, Kingston believes that Meade will help this year's team to meet the program's high standards.
“He brings so much to the table for us," Kingston said. "He’s young, he’s energetic, he’s a student of the game, he’s on top of every modern technology to help our guys and our team.”