FINAL DRAFT WRAPUP

Name, pos., school (if a recruit), round (no.), pro team

Commit Taylor Guerrieri, RHP, Spring Valley HS, first (24), Rays, SIGNED, Aug. 15

Commit Brian Goodwin, OF, Miami-Dade (Fla.) College, first supplemental (34), Nationals, SIGNED, Aug. 15

Jackie Bradley Jr., OF, first supplemental (40), Red Sox, SIGNED, Aug. 15

Matt Price, RHP, sixth (184), Diamondbacks

Commit Evan Beal, RHP, South County (Va.) HS, eighth (246), Royals

*Scott Wingo, SS, 11th (344), Dodgers, SIGNED, July 5

Commit Tanner English, OF, St. James HS, 13th (420), Rays

Commit Andrew Faulkner, LHP, South Aiken HS, 14th (444), Rangers, SIGNED, June 19

Commit Joel Seddon, RHP, St. Clair (Mich.) HS, 20th (619), Blue Jays

Peter Mooney, SS, 21st (649), Blue Jays, SIGNED, July 15

*John Taylor, RHP, 22nd (663), Mariners, SIGNED, July 7

Commit T.J. Costen, SS, First Colonial (Va.) HS, 22nd (684), Rangers

Adam Matthews, OF, 23rd (695), Orioles

Bryan Harper, LHP, 30th (907), Nationals, SIGNED, Aug. 1

Michael Roth, LHP, 31st (938), Indians

Steven Neff, LHP, 41st (1,257), Giants, SIGNED, July 14

Commit Joey Pankake, SS, Easley HS, 42nd (1,284), Rangers

@Commit Shon Carson, OF, Lake City HS, 44th (1,345), Reds

@Commit Ahmad Christian, INF, Trinity Christian (Fla.) HS, 46th (1,391), Brewers

Tyler Webb, LHP, 48th (1,465), Reds

*Adrian Morales, 3B, 49th (1,476), Royals, SIGNED, July 7

*Seniors with no remaining eligibility

@Signed with USC for football and have expressed an interest in walking on to the baseball team

CLASS of 2011

(Pos., name, last school, hometown)

RHP Evan Beal, South County (Va.) HS, Fairfax Station, Va.

INF Connor Bright, Wando HS, Mt. Pleasant

RHP Ethan Carter, Louisburg (N.C.) College, Newport News, Va.

RHP Will Chandler, Florence-Darlington Tech, Florence

OF Seth Constable, Forsyth Country Day (N.C.), Lewisville, N.C.

INF T.J. Costen, First Colonial (Va.) HS, Virginia Beach, Va.

3B LB Dantzler, State College of Florida (Manatee-Sarasota), Winter Haven, Fla.

RHP Rob DeCosmo, Cathedral (Mass.) HS, Agawam, Mass.

OF Tanner English, St. James HS, Murrells Inlet

C Grayson Greiner, Blythewood HS, Columbia

INF Mikal Hill, Mallard Creek (N.C.) HS, Charlotte

INF Tanner Lovick, Pitt (N.C.) CC, Winterville, N.C.

1B Kyle Martin, Wade Hampton HS, Simpsonville

OF Reid Moman, J.L. Mann HS, Greenville

LHP Jordan Montgomery, Sumter HS, Sumter

INF Joey Pankake, Easley HS, Easley

RHP Hunter Privette, Florence-Darlington Tech, Hartsville

RHP Joel Seddon, St. Clair (Mich.) HS, St. Clair, Mich.

INF Casey Smit, College of Central Florida, Tampa, Fla.

INF Chase Vergason, Brevard (Fla.) CC, Lake Mary, Fla.

Notes: Shon Carson and Ahmad Christian are on USC's football team and have expressed an interest to walk on to the baseball team in the fall. Carson says he's talked with Ray Tanner and received permission, Christian said he wasn't sure if he would play after football. Two more players that signed with USC, Austin Gambrell and Alex Satterfield, won't be reporting to school. Gambrell decided to go to Spartanburg Methodist instead and Satterfield is recovering from Tommy John surgery. He is expected to enroll at USC in January.

2012 ROSTER RETURNEES

C Patrick Harrington, RFr.

RHP Drake Thomason, RFr.

LHP Will Casey, RJr.

1B Christian Walker, Jr.

LHP Nolan Belcher, RJr.

C Dante Rosenberg, RJr.

INF Jake Watson, So.

RHP Matt Price, RJr.

C/1B Brison Celek, RSo.

LHP Adam Westmoreland, RJr.

OF Adam Matthews, Sr.

RHP Forrest Koumas, So.

RHP Spencer Jordan, RJr.

LHP Michael Roth, Sr.

3B Erik Payne, So.

OF Evan Marzilli, Jr.

LHP Alex Burrell, RSr.

LHP Logan Munson, Sr.

LHP Tyler Webb, Jr.

RHP Patrick Sullivan, RJr.

OF Jake Williams, Sr.

RHP Colby Holmes, Jr.

LOSSES FROM 2011

3B Adrian Morales (senior)

C/OF Robert Beary (senior)

SS Peter Mooney (draft)

2B Scott Wingo (senior)

LHP Steven Neff (draft)

RHP John Taylor (senior)

RHP Jose Mata (senior)

OF Jackie Bradley Jr. (draft)

C Greg Brodzinski (transfer)

C Brady Thomas (senior)

OF DeSean Anderson (transfer)

LHP Bryan Harper (draft)

Undergrad assistant coach Brian Buscher (one year was served). Buscher is the new head coach at Heathwood Hall Episcopal School and he is being replaced by another former star player, Drew Meyer.

The price will be right at South Carolina for at least one more season.

All-American closer Matt Price did not come to terms with Arizona as Monday's Major League Baseball draft deadline passed, ensuring that the fastball-firing clutch performer will be back with the Gamecocks for the 2012 season. Price was a sixth-round selection and negotiated with the Diamondbacks for much of the past week, including a sit-down meeting on Sunday, but the organization never made an offer that Price would accept.

Price became the only one of USC's four highest draft picks to return to school. First-round pick and top recruit Taylor Guerrieri signed with Tampa Bay late Monday, while junior-college outfielder Brian Goodwin signed with Washington. Rising senior outfielder Jackie Bradley Jr. also signed with Boston, forsaking his final year of college in an expected decision.

But USC still came through the draft relatively well. The Gamecocks got a bit of a surprise when eighth-round selection Evan Beal cut off negotiations with Kansas City and reported to school, while rising senior outfielder Adam Matthews declared in late July that he would also be back. Three other freshman recruits beside Beal - Tanner English, Joel Seddon and T.J. Costen - also turned down their draft selections to play in college.

Price will have two years of college eligibility remaining and will bring a veteran's poise and experience to the Gamecocks, who have lost several key pieces of a back-to-back national championship team. Price will also be given a chance to harness a new role - starting pitcher. Coach Ray Tanner confirmed that during a radio interview on Monday.

"We'll put him out there," Tanner said on a program on 1400 AM in Columbia. "He's earned a chance to start. If we get (Michael) Roth back as well (Roth turned down a 31st-round selection from Cleveland), and add Matt, that's nearly 200 innings worth of experience."

Price began his career as a starter, going 1-1 with a 4.05 ERA in seven games with one start in 2009. His first career start was his last career start - at The Citadel on March 31 of that year, Price was hit by a comebacker and fractured his wrist, shelving him for the season.

The injury, though, proved to be serendipitous for USC. Price emerged as the team's closer and became one of the most feared stoppers in the country throughout 2010 and 2011. Able to dial his fastball up to the mid-90s and mixing in a devastating slider, Price struck out 83 in only 55 2-3 innings in 2010, saving 10 games as the Gamecocks stormed to the national championship.

Virtually automatic out of the bullpen, Price settled into the role, growing a beard and living up to the part of a scowling, intimidating fireman. He proved himself over and over as saving his best for big games, punctuating the Gamecocks' second straight championship by going 2-0 at the 2011 College World Series with two saves and a spotless ERA.

To be a starter, Price will have to steady his fastball - while it has been clocked in the mid-90s, it rarely sits there - and refine his other pitches. "He's got a great change-up that he hardly ever uses because he's a closer," Tanner said.

But he will be back. Price will be given a chance to start, and if it doesn't work out, he already has a fallback option. With his nation-leading 20 saves last year, Price tied Rob Mosser for 30 career saves, the top spot in the USC record book.

One more and Price has another mark on the program.

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