2027 LHP, SoCal native Colin DiRocco details what led him to South Carolina

It’s a busy time of year in college baseball as coaches are out on the road recruiting and traveling across the country to find the next crop of future talent. That’s certainly been the case at South Carolina as the Gamecocks continue to build up their 2027 recruiting class.

Assistant coach John Hendry, who joined the program last summer, recently went to Southern California to check out Jordan Kurz, a middle infielder from Orange Lutheran High School. Little did Hendry know, but when he traveled out there to see Kurz play, another player would soon capture his attention.

That would be Kurz’s teammate, Colin DiRocco, a left-handed pitcher from JSerra Catholic High School in San Juan Capistrano. While the two were playing together in a local scout baseball league, DiRocco faced five batters and struck out four while throwing 90-92 miles per hour.

“I just caught (Hendry’s) eye,” DiRocco told GamecockCentral. “He texted the pitching coach. (Terry Rooney) flew out here to watch me throw. And you know, that’s that.”

The Insiders Forum: Discuss South Carolina baseball!

About two weeks after Hendry’s visit, pitching coach and recruiting coordinator Terry Rooney made the trip out west to see DiRocco. As it turned out, South Carolina got a two-for-one special as both DiRocco and Kurz committed to the Gamecocks over the last few days.

There were a few factors that led to DiRocco’s decision. He felt a close-knit, family-like connection between the players and coaches at South Carolina, which was exactly what he was looking for.

The Ladera Ranch native had never been to South Carolina before. So it was a bit of a culture shock when he came to Columbia for his official visit in mid-October before committing.

“When I got there,” DiRocco said, “I mean, I was kind of like, just wow, because of how clean Columbia is. It’s crazy. A lot cleaner than it is down here. And I love just how all the greenery everywhere is great.”

Part of his visit included checking out the facilities over at Founders Park, which left him in shock, as he put it. He also got to experience his first Gamecock football game when the team took on Oklahoma, which was far different from the Southern Cal games he’d go to at the LA Memorial Coliseum.

“It was unreal, honestly,” DiRocco said. “I mean, I think about 80,000 fans there. I think the most fans that I’ve seen at a football game down here is 20,000, so it was unreal, especially when all the fans were waving the towel up in the air. Just crazy.”

Once his visit wrapped up, every box he had in his mind had already been checked. This was the place for him.

“I just thought, what more could I want? I mean, it just felt like home,” he said. “South Carolina is just awesome. So I couldn’t really want much more. So why not just take it?”

Become part of The Insiders Forum with GamecockCentral. Start for $1 your first week, and get a complimentary year of The Athletic included with your membership.

Standing at 6-foot-5, 175 pounds, DiRocco hopes to fill out his frame by the time he reaches campus after high school. His goal is to get up to 190 pounds and throw as hard as 97 miles per hour.

He’s already well on his way to accomplishing the second part of that overall goal. During his sophomore season, he was throwing 85-86 and is now into the low 90s as he gets set to go for his junior year.

DiRocco also throws a slurve (79-91 MPH) and changeup (85 MPH) to complement his already established fastball as a three-pitch pitcher.

So what can Gamecock fans expect from him in a few years when he takes the mound and begins his college career?

“Just a hard-throwing lefty who’s not going to get hit much, hopefully,” he said. “Hopefully, I’m the next Friday night guy at South Carolina.”

Visit GamecockCentral’s exclusive Gamecocks-only, no-trolls message board!