Gamecocks land South Carolina native, star mid-major assistant as new pitching coach
The South Carolina baseball team has hired Liberty’s Matt Williams as its new pitching coach, the school announced Tuesday.
Williams will replace two-year coach Justin Parker, who is leaving for the same role on Mississippi State’s staff. Pitchers like Noah Hall, Jack Mahoney and Matthew Becker grew under Parker’s tutelage, and the 2023 team’s 4.19 ERA ranked 12th in the country — leaving big shoes to fill for Williams.
Between Spartanburg Methodist, UNC Wilmington and the past four years at Liberty, Williams has spent 18 years as a pitching coach and has had numerous pitchers make leaps under him, including four conference pitchers of the year and 35 pitchers who signed professional contracts.
“I’m very excited to have Matt Williams join our staff as our pitching coach,” Kingston said in the school’s release. “His experience at the collegiate level, the success he has had with the pitching staff in every place he has been and his ties to the state of South Carolina and the Southeast in recruiting make him the right choice as we move into the 2024 season.
“Matt is regarded by professional scouts and coaches as one of the best pitching coaches in the country. We welcome Matt, his wife Denton and son Calahan to the Gamecock family.”
Though he’s coming from Liberty, Williams has deep roots in South Carolina. He played baseball for Lancaster High School before moving on to Spartanburg Methodist, where he helped led the team to the NJCAA World Series, and is a graduate of Limestone College in Dentsville. Williams served as pitching coach and recruiting coordinator at Spartanburg Methodist for eight years before moving on to the Division I ranks.
“South Carolina is home,” Williams said in the USC release. “My wife is an alum. This is the state I grew up playing in and where I started coaching. I’m excited to come back to the state alongside coach Kingston and the staff. I look forward to helping this team get back to Omaha.”
The Gamecocks are looking to build off a 42-21 season and their first super regional appearance since 2018. Williams has a history of postseason success. During his eight years coaching at Spartanburg Methodist, he helped lead the Pioneers to four NCJAA World Series appearances.
In his first three years at Liberty, the Flames reached the NCAA Tournament in all three seasons — the first time in program history Liberty had accomplished that feat. Williams coached Liberty pitchers such as Garrett Horn, who went 6-1 and set a program record for a freshman with a 1.93 ERA in 2022. In 2021, Trevor DeLaite recorded the most wins in school history with a 12-1 record and posted a 2.18 ERA, earning consideration for national pitcher of the year honors.
