'Everything just felt right': Transfer lefty Alex Valentin excited to pitch in big spots at South Carolina

Alex Valentin isn’t your ordinary pitcher. He’s actually quite the opposite.

Simply put, Valentin thrives on high energy and confidence, two qualities that he certainly possesses in abundance.

“It’s just a battle of competition. It’s me versus the hitter,” Valentin told GamecockCentral. “When I’m out there on the mound, I’m convinced that there’s nobody else in the country better than me. I don’t think anybody can beat me, and I don’t think anybody will beat me.”

He doesn’t only show it after a big strikeout or moment in the game — it’s every single pitch. He’s always moving around as he digs his cleats into the dirt to take the mound. As he moves into his windup, he does a shimmy, similar to the one 17-year MLB veteran Johnny Cueto was known for doing.

It doesn’t matter who’s standing in the batter’s box. Valentin will bob his head around, talk to himself, continue to shimmy with each pitch he throws. When he does get the batter out, especially on a strikeout, he’s going to let you know all about it, screaming and beating his arm on his chest.

I wanna say this is a weird pre pitch routine by Alex Valentin but let’s be honest do we expect anything less from a lefty?pic.twitter.com/bJigkps2aM

— Stephen Schoch (@bigdonkey47) February 26, 2025

“I’m going to control how hard I compete. I’m going to control how much effort I give,” Valentin said. “At the end of the day, we all bleed the same blood. It’s just a matter of who wants it more.”

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The bigger the moment, the better Valentin feels like he pitches. The more people that were at his games, the harder he threw and the better his stuff got. He’ll have plenty of opportunities for that next season after committing to South Carolina last month.

“South Carolina has always been one of those dream schools,” he said. “When you hear about college baseball, you always hear about the biggest crowds, and you always hear South Carolina in the mix of it.”

The idea of pitching in front of big crowds in the SEC, especially at Founders Park, is something that enticed him. But he also wants to take his game to the next level, which is something he believes he can do with the Gamecocks.

“Everything just felt right,” Valentin said, explaining his decision. “It was an opportunity to play in the SEC. It was a good opportunity as far as playing time, you know, obviously, there’s no guarantees or promises, but there’s an opportunity to be taken. I just feel like all the resources that they have over there are just gonna make everything full circle.”

Valentin, who pitched at Texas State in 2025, went 5-5 with a 6.12 ERA in 16 appearances. He was tied for the team lead with 58 strikeouts in 67.2 innings pitched as opponents batted .230 against him.

While the left-hander had good strikeout numbers, his walks (37) were high, finishing with the second-highest total on the Bobcats’ pitching staff. On the surface, it may seem like a control issue, but the walk numbers don’t tell the full truth from Valentin’s standpoint.

“I wouldn’t say I struggle with throwing strikes or with walking guys. I’d say I struggle more with throwing with the conviction of not being perfect,” he said. “I try to be so perfect that it can cause me to miss a lot. And I think that’s one thing that I’m really going to work on this year is throwing with complete conviction that even if I miss the pitch, it’s just better than the hitter, and it’s going to get them out.”

But when he’s at his best and the walks are down, he’s more than capable of being a solid pitcher. He made it through the sixth inning in six of his 11 starts this past season. He also pitched in some critical spots out of the bullpen, going 4.2 innings of one-run ball to pick up a win over then-No. 1 Texas A&M on Feb. 25, as well as picking up a save at then-No. 5 Texas on April 1.

Those are the moments where Valentin tends to thrive the most. It’s what he hopes to do consistently while being a part of the turnaround at South Carolina.

“I think it’s an exciting opportunity, and it’s a chance to do something really special with no expectations,” Valentin said. “Everybody has expectations for everybody in the SEC, but nobody has expectations for us. So you go out there, you play pressure-free, and you play without any worry, and it’s an opportunity to go out there and, I guess, shock the world.”

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