Bearcats' Neely signs to play baseball at Clemson

By Karl Lyles - klyles@heraldonline.com

Rock Hill High School senior Seth Neely signed a National Letter of Intent Tuesday afternoon to play baseball for the Clemson Tigers beginning with the 2010 season.

A 6-foot-1, 175-pounder, Neely, the son of Sandy and Chris Neely, has always played shortstop or centerfield. Clemson coach Jack Leggett has told him he will play an infield spot for the Tigers.

"He will compete for a position. He is an athlete and can play the game," Rock Hill coach Eddie Hill said. "If he goes in and shows a positive attitude, he will be able to get on the field somewhere."

Hill said Neely has some pop in his bat but he is more of a gap hitter. In the field, he is smooth and has a good arm.

Hill helps out with Clemson baseball camps and has taken Neely to the camps over the years. Leggett asked Hill about Neely, and the process got started.

"I heard from Elon and Wofford. PC (Presbyterian) and Spartanburg Methodist made offers. But when Clemson offered, I knew that was where I wanted to go," Neely said.

He played for the South Charlotte Panthers, a traveling team, this summer and tied for the team lead with six home runs. His 42 RBI ranked third on the team.

"I would like to thank the South Charlotte Panthers, coach Danny Hignight and coach Don Hutchins," Neely said. I also tied for the district lead in home runs with 5."

Neely hit .349 for Rock Hill as a junior last year and tied for the most home runs in Region 4-AAAA with five. He has a 4.0 grad- point average and plans to major in Sports Management.

Neely grew up a South Carolina Gamecocks fan, but said he is looking forward to carrying on the tradition of great baseball at Clemson.

The Tigers were 31-27-1 last year. They played in the College World Series in 2006.