Three Tattnall Square athletes make college choice official
Cory Bartholomew enjoyed his visit to USC Upstate, but he was not quite sure how interested the baseball program was in him until March 22.
The Tattnall Square ace was scheduled to pitch that day, and Spartans pitching coach Ethan Guevin made the trip from Spartanburg, South Carolina, to watch Bartholomew pitch against rival FPD. Bartholomew, as usual, was dominant, shutting down the Vikings for a 10-0 win.
After the game, Guevin offered Bartholomew a scholarship and told him to think about it and get back to him.
But Bartholomew didn’t need to think about it, and quickly gave his commitment to the Division I program on the spot. Bartholomew made it official Thursday, signing with USC Upstate, which competes in the A-Sun.
“I really did not have to think about it at all because after the visit, I knew that’s where I wanted to be,” said Bartholomew, who won 35 games in his Tattnall career and led his team to a GHSA state championship as a senior. “It has been my dream to play Division I baseball, and when they offered, I just said yes right away. I see it as a great opportunity to go to a school where I will have a chance to pitch immediately, and I don’t think I could be any happier with my choice.”
After a grueling high school schedule, Bartholomew said he has a lot to work on in the coming months.
“I honestly have not picked up a baseball since Monday, and I probably won’t throw much for about a month, but after that, I know I have a lot of work to do.” Bartholomew said. “The advantage I have had at Tattnall was that I got to work with (head coach Joey) Hiller and (pitching coach Kevin) Brown and all the other coaches, and they have helped me develop as a baseball player. But the college game is different. Everyone can throw it 90 mph, so I am going to work hard to develop a pitch that sinks at the last minute and work on location with my other pitches. I am just thankful to have the chance to pitch in college.”
Bartholomew was not the only Tattnall athlete who made his college choice Thursday. Second baseman Blake Simmons will be heading to Georgia Southern and basketball player Aubrien Kemp is heading to East Georgia.
“I felt like Georgia Southern felt like home to me, and I have always wanted to go there,” said Simmons, who will major in engineering in college. “I went to three or four baseball camps at Georgia Southern when I was younger, and I liked it right away. I feel like I will be able to compete at that high level, and I am ready to work hard and see what happens.”
Simmons does believe he has a slight advantage because of playing baseball at Tattnall Square.
“Coach Hiller does not give us days off, and he expects us to be at our best, and I definitely think that will help with the transition to playing in college,” said Simmons, who batted better than .400 in his senior season. “I am just looking forward to seeing what I can do at Georgia Southern.”
Kemp, who also starred in football at Tattnall, is happy with his choice but said it will be tough to give up football. Kemp is slated to play point guard for the two-year program.
“I am very excited to play for (East Georgia head coach Leroy) Jordan, but I know I have to get a lot better in the next few months,” Kemp said. “I have not totally closed the book on playing football again, but right now I am just focused on being the best basketball player I can be.”
This story was originally published May 19, 2016 at 5:02 PM with the headline "Three Tattnall Square athletes make college choice official."