Former WU player an advocate for the underdogs

By David Thackham

thackhamd@thejohnsonian.com

Jeremy Plexico likes to root for the underdogs. 

Probably because he knows the feeling: he’s been one.

The current Ball State University baseball pitching coach was a Winthrop legend back in 2002 and 2003, but his story started farther south down I-77.

Beginning his baseball career at the University of South Carolina, Plexico found himself riding the bench, stuck behind more proven talent in the pitching rotation.

“It just didn’t work at at USC,” the Chapin High School graduate said. 

His fortune was soon to change with a move to Rock Hill.

“I only went to Winthrop on a baseball decision,” Plexico said. “When I got there, it was a perfect fit, the city was good for me and it was a great situation.”

Under the tutelage of Winthrop head coach Joe Hudak, Plexico flourished.

“Winthrop helped me believe in myself when I played in front of the fans.”

 Plexico seized upon that opportunity, surprising most and completing the season 9-5, with a respectable ERA of 4.38.

 In his first year, he received Third Team All-American honors.

 Hudak and his new recruit worked hard during the offseason of 2003 to further improve Plexico’s game.

“Hudak was able to help with my changeup and several different pitching strategies,” the coach said, “so I was able to put that to use by going out and executing.

The extra training paid dividends, and the pitcher’s second season was even more successful. 

He sliced his ERA in half to 2.90 and racked up an 11-3 record, which helped him earn All-American honors for the second successive season. 

The young Plexico thrived in the classroom as well as the diamond.

He earned the Big South Male Scholar Athlete of the Year award as a senior, the Winthrop Senior Academic Award and the Big South Presidential Scholar Award.

But one thing Plexico values more than anything is his former teammates.

Plexico said his best memory from playing at Winthrop was “all the friends and everyone he’s met.”

“Just about everyone I played with I can call up at any time and they’d do anything for me at the drop of a dime, so a lot of my success wouldn’t have happened without my teammates,” he said.

The coach thinks his personal statistics were “icing on the cake” for such a successful spell with the Eagles.

After graduating in 2003 with a B.A. in history, the Montreal Expos draft Plexico in the 19th round of the amateur entry draft. 

He enjoyed a respectable five-year stint with several minor league teams before choosing a more preferred role: helping those underdogs like he once was.

“I’ve been either the guy at the end or the top of the bench, so I know how everyone feels, Plexico said.

“I’ve learned to deal with people who I’ve never been around, from all walks of life, and I’m able to relate to them,” he said.

 “I’m going to work with all the guys, even the ones on the bottom of the roster and pull for everyone who runs out there.” 

Ball State University was the first to recognize his commitment. 

“The Cardinals coaching staff is awesome I feel like I’m working with people, not for them,” Plexico said.

The newly-instituted pitching coach has hopes to go as far into college baseball as he can, building a strong foundation of players and staff alike. 

But in essence, the most important thing for Plexico is to help the players. 

“I want to bring a killer instinct with a laid back attitud be even keel, easy going, a guy who the players can look at as a comfort zone and be the one they can count on,” he said.

Whether benchwarmer or grand slam hero, the Winthrop alumnus is working hard to make sure everyone knows he or she counts.