Freshman commits to Gamecocks

Wando High School freshman Nick Ciuffo has never played in a varsity baseball game. Yet, this past weekend, the 14-year-old catcher committed to play for the South Carolina Gamecocks.

"This is obviously a great opportunity and one I couldn't resist," said Ciuffo. "The chance to play in the SEC and for coach Ray Tanner made this decision very easy."

Baseball insiders believe Ciuffo is the first baseball player in South Carolina, and perhaps the Southeast, to be offered a college baseball scholarship before playing a varsity game in high school.

Thediamondprospects.com, a Web site dedicated to high school baseball in South Carolina, called the commitment unprecedented and said Ciuffo is the first player in the Southeast to commit to a college prior to playing in a varsity game.

"That's entirely possible," said Aaron Foote, college baseball writer for Baseball America. "I've heard of a couple of freshmen committing in the last five years, but it was after their freshman seasons. Nowadays, you hear about it every once in a while, but it's still not common. It does happen, but the kid has to be pretty special and he really has to project."

Ciuffo's commitment shows just how much recruiting has changed over the years. Just 10 years ago, even the best high school players weren't offered scholarships until after their junior year.

Last year, Tanner offered Belton-Honea Path freshman outfielder Andrew Cox a scholarship. That offer was made after the season and Cox was in his second season of varsity ball, contributing as an eighth-grader to his team's Class AAA state championship season.

South Carolina's recruiting has intensified now that Chad Holbrook is the recruiting coordinator.

"That program is clearly one of the best in the nation," Foote said of the Gamecocks. "Holbrook was an aggressive recruiter at North Carolina and obviously he's doing the same thing at South Carolina. Still, you don't hear about a freshman committing too often, especially one who has never played a varsity game."

College coaches are not allowed to comment on recruits until they sign a national letter of intent.

Recruiting can be an inexact science and plenty can happen before a high school player goes off to college. Until Ciuffo signs a letter of intent, neither he nor USC is bound by the verbal commitment.

Former Wando outfielder Daniel Aldrich is a recent example of how things can change during the recruiting process.

Aldrich committed to South Carolina after his freshman season, but later decommitted. He then committed to play for Wake Forest, but ended up at the College of Charleston.

Ciuffo, the son of Tony Ciuffo and Kim Ciuffo, played for Wando's junior varsity team last spring. This fall he played for the Diamond Devils 18-U team, which includes many of the best players in the state. That team finished third in the 85-team World Wood Bat Association World Championship in Jupiter, Fla.

Ciuffo, who is 6-feet and 180 pounds, batted .352 and led the Diamond Devils with three home runs this season.

John Rhodes, who coaches the Diamond Devils, said Ciuffo's strengths are his maturity level, work ethic and desire.

"As a hitter, he has a good eye, a nice even stroke and some pop as evidenced by his three home runs," Rhodes said. "As a catcher, he has a good throwing arm that will get better as he continues to grow physically."

Rhodes helped develop some of the best players the Lowcountry has produced in the last decade, including Drew Meyer, Matt Wieters, Justin Smoak, Reese Havens and the Cisco brothers, Mike and Drew. Rhodes said he won't compare Ciuffo to those players just yet.

"Keep in mind that Wieters was Stratford's starting catcher as a seventh-grader, and Meyer was the starting shortstop on my 18-U American Legion team when he was 13 years old," Rhodes said. "Recruiting was done differently then, and most colleges didn't start on kids until after their junior year of high school."

In between junior varsity in the spring and the Diamond Devils in the fall, Ciuffo also had a busy summer. He was one of 216 players nationwide, ages 14 and 15, invited to the USA Baseball's National Team Identification Series (NTIS) held in Cary, N.C.

For now, Ciuffo is focused on making the varsity team at Wando.

"We are excited for Nicholas and we are looking forward to watching him continue to develop as a leader with our ball club," Wando varsity baseball coach Jeff Blankenship said. "He is part of a 15-member freshman class that we have returning from our JV and B-Teams that we are looking forward to coaching on the varsity and junior varsity levels this year."

Reach Philip M. Bowman at pbowman@postandcourier.com or at 937-5586.