COLUMBIA, S.C. — One of the key pieces of South Carolina’s two national championships on the diamond is coming back to the Gamecock program.
Scott Wingo will return as the a volunteer assistant, taking over for Stuart Lake who left to take a job outside of baseball.
Wingo was a four-year letterwinner for the Gamecocks from 2008-2011. He was a member on the 2010 and 2011 national championship teams. In his senior season, Wingo was named a team captain and was named First Team All-SEC. In his final weeks in a Carolina uniform, the Mauldin native was named the Most Outstanding Player of the 2011 College World Series. His 254 games played is the second highest career total in program history.
An 11th-round pick in the 2011 MLB Draft by the Dodgers, Wingo was in that organization for three seasons. After his playing career ended, he was a student assistant at Carolina in 2015 and an assistant coach for the Wilmington Sharks of the Coastal Plain League.
In 2016 and 2017, Wingo was an assistant coach with North Greenville University while earning his Master’s degree, and he was also promoted to head coach of the Wilmington Sharks during the 2016 and 2017 summer season.
“I am thrilled to announce that Scott Wingo will be coming home,” Mark Kingston said in a statement.
“He is what this program is all about. A proven winner, over achiever, and someone who cares deeply about Gamecock baseball. It is important to me to embrace the history of this program and Scott played here during our greatest era. His return will positively impact our staff and players, and I’m proud to bring back an all-time fan favorite!”
Wingo spent the previous season with Notre Dame in the same volunteer assistant role working with the infielders and offense as part of a Super Regional team that was the top seed in the ACC baseball tournament.
“”I want to thank Coach Link Jarrett and the University of Notre Dame. Coach Jarrett, his staff and student-athletes are first class people and I am forever grateful for him giving me the opportunity to represent the Fighting Irish. I am honored and humbled that Coach Kingston is giving me the opportunity to come back to the University of South Carolina,” Wingo said in a statement.
“I consider the University of South Carolina my home and look forward to working with this coaching staff and the student-athletes to bring back a national championship to Columbia. Go Gamecocks!”
Wingo joins a staff that has two new assistants under Kingston in Chad Caillet and Justin Parker.