Michael Roth
- School
- South Carolina
- Position
- Pitcher/First Base
- Major
- International Business/Marketing
- AVG
- .235
- R
- 0
- H
- 4
- FLD%
- .970
- ERA
- 2.68
- W-L
- 6-1
- RBI
- 2
Classroom
As a junior, Roth earned first-team CoSIDA Academic All-America honors. He was also the recipient of the NCAA Elite 88 Award with the highest GPA of all student-athletes from the eight schools at the College World Series. Roth maintains a 3.83 GPA in International Business with a double major also in Marketing. He is also minoring in Spanish and is on pace to graduate this May.
Character
Roth was a captain in 2011 for South Carolina’s national championship team. Roth was drafted by the Cleveland Indians his junior season but elected to return to school and complete his bachelor’s degree and compete as a senior. He is a unanimous selection by his teammates as captain for the 2012 season for the Gamecocks. Roth has always emphasized team goals and his teammates respect him as much as any player that coach Ray Tanner has coached.
Community
Roth has been a leader in the community at South Carolina. From January 2010 to the present, he has been involved with the AC Moore Elementary School Mentorship program. Roth has been a featured speaker and reader to several elementary schools in the Columbia community and has visited with kids at both the Palmetto Children’s Hospital and Children’s Hospital of Omaha. He has also participated in the Light The Night Walk and along with several of his teammates shaved his head last year for Camp Kemo, which is a one-week summer camp for children with cancer, ages 5–18 and their siblings.
Competition
As a junior, Roth posted a 14-3 record with a 1.06 ERA and 112 strikeouts in 145 innings pitched. A situational left-handed pitcher as a freshman and sophomore, Roth worked his way up to the spot as the No. 1 starter for the 2011 Gamecocks. His 14th win of the season was a 5-2 victory against Florida at the College World Series that clinched the national championship for the Gamecocks. Roth was National Player of the Year by CollegeBaseballInsider.com as well as a consensus All-American from the ABCA, Baseball America, CollegeBaseballInsider.com, NCBWA and Perfect Game USA. He was also named to the NCAA Regional All-Tournament Team and the College World Series All-Tournament Team.
