Mendham off to University of South Carolina

After an outstanding season with the Connors State Cowboys, Ontario Nationals alum David Mendham (Dorchester, Ont.) will suit up for the Division 1 University of South Carolina Gamecocks of the Southeastern Conference (SEC) this collegiate season. Photo: Will Chitty, 247 Sports

*The article was originally published on The Big Spur website on September 12, 2019. You can read the original version here.

By John Whittle

The Big Spur

The South Carolina baseball program has added its second junior college commitment to the 2020 recruiting class as utility player David Mendham (Dorchester, Ontario/Connors State) made his pledge to the school on September 9.

Mendham, a second-team NJCAA All-American, announced his commitment to the Gamecocks on Twitter on Wednesday night (September 11), just a few days after visiting the program officially over the weekend.

“The tradition is one of the things that really stood out about South Carolina,” Mendham told TheBigSpur.com.

“I love where it’s at; great weather, great coaches, the facilities are unbelievable and it’s just a great place. I really enjoyed being around the coaches and they’re really good guys. I know they can help me moving forward. I’ve never been to a game, but I know it’s a great atmosphere, and no it will be a great place to play.”

Mendham was a key part in the Connors State baseball team that finished their 2019 season in the JUCO World Series in Grand Junction, Colo. For his part, the left-handed hitter played in 61 games and hit .422 with 14 home runs and 85 RBIs.

Mendham is from Dorchester, Ontario and it was difficult to be recruited out of Canada. So he went the junior college route, and has had great success.

“Being from Canada, it’s tough to get recruited by four-year schools,” Mendham said. “I thought the junior college way was the best one for me to play right off the bat and develop. Connor State is a great place, the coaches here have helped me a ton and I’ve gotten a lot of at-bats, which has made me a different player.”

Currently standing at 6-foot-3 and 220 pounds, Mendham played in the Northwoods League over the summer and hit .313 with 15 RBIs, 16 walks and 12 strikeouts in his 20 games played for the Bismark Larks. He finished with a .423 on-base percentage.

Over the summer, Mendham was primarily a catcher but at Connors State, he was mainly at third base. He could play either position or first base at South Carolina.

“They see me doing a little bit of everything,” Mendham said. “Hitting, basically, but whatever gets me in the lineup. It’ll just be wherever they find a spot for me. I really like playing anywhere. I’ll do anything that gets me in the lineup and gets me playing.”

The Gamecocks were one of the first schools to express their interest and the first school to get him in on an official visit. It was his first in-person exposure to the program, but he’s followed along from afar for a while.

“I used to watch the videos on YouTube channel,” Mendham said. “I liked watching that, seeing the field and that’s when I started with South Carolina baseball. We don’t get much college baseball on TV in Canada, and that was really my first exposure to South Carolina.”

South Carolina has landed a commitment from 2020 right-handed pitcher CJ Weins . Here’s a link to the list of high school commitments for the 2020 class.