Gamecocks Baseball legend Bass passes away
COLUMBIA, S.C. (WOLO) – Former Carolina baseball player Earl Bass has passed away at the age of 65.
Gamecock Athletics, in a release mourning the pitcher’s passing, said Bass is “considered by many as the greatest baseball player in Gamecock history”.
With roots in the Midlands, originally from Cayce, Bass donned the garnet and black from 1972-75 and was recognized as an SEC Legend at the conference tournament in Hoover last season.
“I was shocked,” Bass said about being named an SEC Legend. “It was quite a nice surprise. I didn’t know who else from the program was in there, but I said Coach Richardson has to be in there ahead of me, for sure. So it’s really special.”
Bass was 65 years old. He was working as a restaurant owner in Palm Beach, Florida, according to his Facebook page.
Selected with the second-overall pick in the 1975 MLB June Draft-Secondary Phase by the St. Louis Cardinals, Bass started his pro career with Triple-A Tulsa, pitching four seasons in the minors. He had a career 32-27 record across Double-A and Triple-A.
