Garnet and Black Attack the Port City
May 19, 2015 - Coastal Plain League (Coastal Plain)
Wilmington Sharks News Release
Coach Parker Bangs has signed four of University of South Carolina's finest to suit up for the Wilmington Sharks. Alex Destino, John Parke, Reed Scott, and Matt Vogel will make the 3 hour drive from Columbia to spend the summer at the Shark Tank.
Bangs, a member of South Carolina's 2010 national championship team, uses his connections to the Garnet and Black to his advantage as the coach of the Wilmington Sharks.
"South Carolina has been one of my pipelines that's been very beneficial for both sides. They get to send some younger guys to a coach they trust in order to get some reps in over the summer, while we get some talented baseball players to help us win games in Wilmington", says Coach Bangs.
John Parke and Matt Vogel greatly contributed out of Wilmington's bullpen in the summer of 2014, and Coach Bangs has high expectations for the returning Gamecocks.
In 2014, Parke made 6 starts for the Sharks, striking out 19 of the 140 batters he faced. In 31 innings pitched, opponents batted .250 against the lefty. During his sophomore season for the Gamecocks, the 6'4" hurler has notched a 2-0 record in 11 appearances out of the bullpen, and holds a spotless 0.00 ERA.
"John is a big strong kid with a good arm and good stuff - he's got the potential to help us tremendously," says Bangs. "Hopefully, with an extra year of seasoning he can build off a solid spring and be one of our go-to starting pitchers throughout the summer."
Matt Vogel, a late addition to the Sharks in 2014, posted a misleading 1-3 record in his 7 appearances. In 26.2 innings, Vogel struck out 34 batters, while facing just over 100. In his sophomore season for South Carolina, the 6'0" righty has pitched 17 innings in 11 outings. Vogel has held his opponents to a .183 batting average, while fanning 16.
"Matt Vogel is going to be our closer this summer. He has some big shoes to fill in terms of replacing Kyler Stout, but with the talent Matt brings to the table he should have no problem continuing that theme of having big-time arms at the back end of the pen in Wilmington to close out all those wins for us," adds Bangs.
In 2014, Wilmington closer Kyler Stout was unanimously selected to the CPL East All-Star Team. "The Human Victory Cigar" posted an ERA of 0.35, struck out 44 batters in 25.2 innings of work, and collection 13 saves along the way. Those are enormous shoes to fill.
Coach Bangs also looks forward to having newcomers Reed Scott and Alex Destino in Wilmington for the summer of 2015.
Scott, a 6'1" right handed sophomore from Marietta, GA, has posted the second best ERA for the Gamecocks this year. His 3.20 ERA comes in 22 appearances, totaling just over 50 innings for the season. Scott has held SEC opponents to a .284 batting average.
"Reed Scott has had a great spring for S.C. He's going to attack the strike zone and get a lot of weak contact with how he moves the baseball around - something you really look for in a wood bat league. I think he'll have a great summer," says Bangs.
Before arriving to Columbia for his freshman season, Alex Destino of Weaverville N.C. was named 2014 Louisville Slugger High School All-American, and rated the No. 2 best high school prospect in the state of North Carolina by Perfect Game USA. He's continued to impress for South Carolina by batting .258, posting an on-base percentage of .295, and knocking in 35 RBIs in his freshman campaign. His slugging percentage of .405 is a result of 42 hits, 12 for extra bases.
"He's been their starting DH all season, and has some very good numbers in a conference of very good players," says Coach Bangs. "He has a tremendous amount of power, especially for a freshman. Hopefully, he will continue to showcase that this summer. He'll give us some much needed "thump" in the middle of our lineup."
In less than one week, the Wilmington Sharks will host the Edenton Steamers to begin their 2015 season. This will be the first of 28 home games for the Wilmington Sharks. Grand Slam and Homerun Packages are still available - don't miss out on this JAWSOME opportunity!
Coastal Plain League Stories from May 19, 2015
- Garnet and Black Attack the Port City - Wilmington Sharks
- RedHawks Ace to Deal at 'The Swamp' - Fayetteville SwampDogs
- Blowfish Honor Three Local Military Families Opening Night, Wednesday, May 27 - Lexington County Blowfish
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