Another Gamecock In The Big Leagues
posted by Scott Hood on Thursday, June 21, 2007
Melillo is one of five former Gamecocks now in the big leagues, joining veterans Adam Everett (Houston) and Brian Roberts (Orioles) and rookie pitchers Jon Coutlangus and Marcus McBeth, both of whom are with the Cincinnati Reds.
Melillo was one of the sparkplugs on the USC teams that went to the College World Series in Omaha three consecutive years (2002-2004). He was captain of the 2004 team but suffered a broken wrist midway through the year.
That injury produced one of the more unforgettable moments in USC baseball lore on April 30, 2004. Desperate to help his club late in the season, Melillo could only swing a bat with one hand. He came up to the plate against Ole Miss and, defying conventional wisdom, somehow drove a pitch over the right-field fence for a home run.
Coutlangus and McBeth are seeing regular action out of the Cincinnati bullpen, though both had roles in the Reds' failure to protect a lead in Wednesday's 5-3 loss to Oakland. Coutlangus replaced McBeth in the seventh with runners on the corners and one out. He issued consecutive walks to force home the tying run before surrendering a sacrifice fly to deep center for the eventual game-winning run.
Coutlangus is 3-1 with a 4.68 ERA in 37 games for Cincinnati this season. He's allowed 21 hits and 14 runs in 25 innings with 20 strikeouts and 16 walks. McBeth, called up a couple of weeks ago, is 1-1 with a 5.68 ERA in 6.1 IP.
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Late last night I received word the Oakland A's had called up former USC second baseman Kevin Melillo from Triple A Sacramento. The much-deserved promotion for Melillo also involved the A's designating OF Milton Bradley for reassignment.
Melillo is one of five former Gamecocks now in the big leagues, joining veterans Adam Everett (Houston) and Brian Roberts (Orioles) and rookie pitchers Jon Coutlangus and Marcus McBeth, both of whom are with the Cincinnati Reds.
Melillo was one of the sparkplugs on the USC teams that went to the College World Series in Omaha three consecutive years (2002-2004). He was captain of the 2004 team but suffered a broken wrist midway through the year.
That injury produced one of the more unforgettable moments in USC baseball lore on April 30, 2004. Desperate to help his club late in the season, Melillo could only swing a bat with one hand. He came up to the plate against Ole Miss and, defying conventional wisdom, somehow drove a pitch over the right-field fence for a home run.
Coutlangus and McBeth are seeing regular action out of the Cincinnati bullpen, though both had roles in the Reds' failure to protect a lead in Wednesday's 5-3 loss to Oakland. Coutlangus replaced McBeth in the seventh with runners on the corners and one out. He issued consecutive walks to force home the tying run before surrendering a sacrifice fly to deep center for the eventual game-winning run.
Coutlangus is 3-1 with a 4.68 ERA in 37 games for Cincinnati this season. He's allowed 21 hits and 14 runs in 25 innings with 20 strikeouts and 16 walks. McBeth, called up a couple of weeks ago, is 1-1 with a 5.68 ERA in 6.1 IP.
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Scott Hood. Since February of 2005, Scott has covered the South Carolina football, men's basketball and baseball programs for GamecockCentral. He may be reached by email at scottblog(at)gamecockcentral.com. Replace (at) with @.