Roman Kimball Set To Make Triumphant Return To The Mound
Last season, South Carolina baseball fans were treated to a great comeback story, as then-junior right-handed pitcher Jack Mahoney came back from Tommy John surgery and put together a 7-4 season that led to him becoming a 3rd round draft pick via the Colorado Rockies in the 2023 MLB Draft. This spring, another right-handed pitcher, Roman Kimball, will be looking to create his own redemption story after going through the same procedure over one year ago and missing all of last season because of it.
The main difference between both stories is that Gamecock fans had an idea of what they'd be witnessing with Jack Mahoney, as he pitched multiple games in his freshman season in Columbia back in 2021. Kimball hasn't thrown a single pitch for Carolina, as he came to the program via the transfer portal after a solid freshman campaign in 2022 that saw him notch four wins in seventeen appearances, along with a 2.28 strikeout-to-walk ratio.
While Mark Kingston and the staff plan to be careful with Roman in his first few starts for the Gamecocks, South Carolina fans can expect to watch a fiery competitor on the mound later this afternoon, as junior catcher Cole Messina explained to the media this past Thursday.
"[He's] like a maniac," Cole bluntly stated. "I think that's the first thing that comes in my head when he's on the mound like he's going to be high energy, he's going to be pumped up, he's going to show emotion. But I think that's what helps him compete at the highest level. I think that him having that emotion, having that competitiveness is really going to help him when it comes to certain games and when he when he doesn't have his best stuff. I think that [competitive fire will] kind of overrule it and help him succeed."
How To Watch: No. 25 South Carolina Vs. Miami (OH)
- Gameday: Sunday, February 18th, 2024
- Venue: Founders Park (Columbia, SC)
- Game time: 1:30 PM ET
- TV/Streaming: SEC Network Plus
- Live stream on fuboTV: Start with a 7-day free trial!
- Radio: Gamecock Radio Network
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