Make it 11 for ’11. Wade Hampton High School star Kyle Martin became the 11th commitment of the class of 2011 on Wednesday choosing South Carolina over Clemson and a handful of other in-state schools.
Martin becomes the third player in his class that can both hit and pitch. The six-feet-one, 200-pounder is the top first baseman in the state and is known for swinging a big bat both in high school and for his Canes AAU team.
A southpaw, Martin becomes the first left-handed pitcher to commit in his class.
During his summer travels with the Canes and with various events put on by Diamond Prospects, Martin had the chance to play at Carolina Stadium quite a few times over the summer.
“The new stadium is fantastic,” Martin said. “From the dugouts, to the field, to the locker rooms – everything is just fantastic. Chad Holbrook is an amazing guy and I just love talking to him. Coach Tanner is the number one coach in the state, no doubt. They’re all just good people.”
Martin also made the trek from Simpsonville to Columbia for an unofficial visit for the football game against Clemson. A lifelong Tiger fan, Martin may have put on a USC t-shirt for the trip but he admitted he was “pulling for Clemson a little bit.”
Ranked the No. 8 overall prospect in the state in Diamond Prospect’s summer rankings, Martin didn’t receive a lot of love from the state school located just 45 minutes from home.
“I was Clemson born, Clemson raised, and Clemson fan by heart,” Martin said. “I’ve always been able to tell they weren’t too interested just by the way the recruiter acted towards me and everything.”
It was important to Martin to stay within the borders of South Carolina and once the state’s flagship school offered and Clemson failed to show the same kind of interest, the decision was an easy one.
“My main goal was to stay in the state,” Martin said. “Clemson and USC were the schools I always wanted to go to. I talked to the Clemson coach the other day and he just didn’t seem too interested. That’s when my final decision came and now I’m going to USC.”
Holbrook and the South Carolina coaches see a big bat along with great discipline at the plate from the big left-hander.
“Coaches say I have a great eye for the ball,” Martin said. “I have a great eye for the strike zone, I work hard, and I’m always hustling; I give it all I got when I’m out on the field.”
Martin attracted a lot of interest over the summer hitting in the middle of the order for the Canes, which won Under-16 World Wooden Bat Association National Championship.
While his upright batting stance lends itself to plenty of power, Martin may do a little tweaking to his swing during the upcoming high school season with the Generals.
“I need to work on my batting stance some because people tell me it’s a good stance for power but I’m not balanced enough,” Martin said. “I need to work on my pitching – throwing harder and the intelligence of pitching. I need to learn which pitches to throw when a little better.”
While Martin is known more right now for his bat than his pitching prowess, the lefty is sure to be a formidable arm for the Gamecocks.
“I have a lot of tail on my fastball,” Martin said. “A lot of people I face say it’s pretty dirty.”
Martin joins Laurens Academy’s Alex Satterfield and Austin Gambrell from Belton-Honea Path as the third, two-way player in the class of 2011.
