Bangs Joins PC Baseball Staff

CLINTON, S.C. (PC SID) — Former University of South Carolina pitcher Parker Bangs has been named an assistant coach for the Blue Hose, head coach Elton Pollock announced on Friday. Bangs won a National Championship with in the Gamecocks in 2010 before going on to play three seasons in the minor leagues. “I‘m really excited to have Parker Bangs join our coaching staff,” Pollock said. “He should make an immediate impact with our pitchers. He brings with him a wealth of experience at both the collegiate and professional level and his level of success should carry over.” Bangs made 47 appearances over three seasons (2008-10) for South Carolina, compiling a 7-5 record in 74.2 innings pitched with 94 strikeouts. The native of Laurinburg, N.C. also batted .301 for his career while totaling 21 doubles, 10 home runs and 60 RBIs in 226 career at-bats. The Gamecocks advanced to the NCAA Tournament in each of the three seasons in which he saw action. “I am incredibly excited about the opportunity to be a part of a program like the one at PC,” Bangs said. “We have a great deal of talented players, all of whom I am very much looking forward to working with as we prepare to build on the success of last year’s team.” Bangs was drafted by the Kansas City Royals in the 31st round of the 2010 MLB First-Year Player Draft. He pitched parts of three seasons in the minors, making 17 appearances with 27.2 innings pitched. His best season of professional baseball came in 2011 when he pitched 22.0 innings and recorded 28 strikeouts while holding hitters to a .274 average against him. Prior to joining the Blue Hose, Bangs was the head coach and pitching coach of the Wilmington Sharks in the Coastal Plain League for the past two seasons. He spent three seasons as the head baseball coach at Heathwood Hall Episcopal School in Columbia, S.C. from 2013-15. Bangs also spent time as the pitching and hitting coach for the Columbia Blowfish of the Coastal Plain League and as the hitting coach at Dutch Fork High School in Irmo, S.C., following his playing career. Bangs graduated from the University of South Carolina in May of 2010 with a degree in experimental psychology while minoring in sociology. He then earned then a master‘s degree in public administration from South Carolina in May of 2015. During his playing days, Bangs was named to the All-SEC Academic Team in 2008, 2009 and 2010 and earned All-SEC Freshman Academic honors during his red-shirt season in 2007.