5 state titles in baseball, 2 in football, 1 ER in 2 years -- this Draft prospect's resume is bonkers!

Baseball is a cyclical game. Twenty years ago, this generation’s Hall of Famer hurlers looked up to the ones that came before them. Now, the next wave of preternaturally gifted youngsters looks to those veterans with the same reverence. In Carson Bolemon’s case, he’s a self-proclaimed Clayton Kershaw guy.

“Seeing his arsenal, seeing the way he pitches, attacks hitters,” said Bolemon of what appealed to him about the former Dodgers ace. “He doesn’t pitch to wound -- he pitches to kill.”

You see the size, the stuff, the makeup, the left-handedness and it all makes sense that the 6-foot-4 Bolemon was drawn to Kershaw. Before MLB’s No. 24 Draft prospect was even born, Kershaw was named both the Texas and the national Gatorade Player of the Year in 2006, a southpaw with an overpowering repertoire who struck out 139 batters in 64 innings while posting an 0.77 ERA.

But as Kershaw’s career has wound down, Bolemon’s has begun its ascent. The 19-year-old became the first player to win back-to-back South Carolina Gatorade Player of the Year Awards this year. A big part of earning that honor two years in a row was that Bolemon almost never gave up a run, particularly over his final two high school seasons. He posted a spotless 0.00 ERA as a junior, allowing just seven hits -- all singles. His encore performance as a senior saw him log an 0.17 ERA that was blemished by a solo home run in his first outing -- the only run he would go on to allow all year.

Long is the list of pitchers who have been able to overpower lackluster competition at a young age due to one or two dominant offerings. That’s not Bolemon. Equipped with a legitimate five-pitch mix, the big southpaw has long been a creature of his craft.

“I think from a young age, I’ve always had the pitchability,” Bolemon said. “But as I’ve gotten older, that velo started to tick up and it’s helped me a ton to get better and get guys out more consistently. I pride myself on keeping hitters off balance -- if you’re throwing the same thing over and over, eventually they’re going to hit it. You gotta be able to mix speeds and locate the ball.

“I’m kind of a new-school/old-school guy. On one hand, you have to be able to locate the ball, throw strikes and get ahead, but at the same time, you have to understand the technology and how you can use it to be a better version of yourself. I think where you go wrong is if you’re using it to be someone you’re not. How I developed my pitches is more trial and error -- at the end of the day, if you try something and it works [keep it]; if it doesn’t, try something else. It’s insane to do the same thing over and over and expect a different result.”

That attuned eye to his craft has long served Bolemon well. Most players are thrilled to ever win one state title -- Bolemon won his first for Southside Christian School in eighth grade. Then again as a freshman. Again as a sophomore. Again as a junior. And yep, you guessed it, again as a senior. In addition to the five baseball crowns, he also won two on the gridiron as a quarterback … before he gave up football ahead of his junior season to focus on pitching full-time.

It was a prudent move. Bolemon had starred for the Team USA U15 World Cup squad back in 2022 but took the next step three years later as the ace of the U18 team. As has become wont with his baseball résumé, he took home a gold medal on both occasions.

“Carson Bolemon is special,” said Southside Christian head coach Scott Freeman of Bolemon when he was announced as South Carolina’s Player of the Year again this year. “Not only is he the most talented player I have coached in 30-plus years, he’s also the hardest worker, the best teammate and the most humble player I’ve been around. He is mature way beyond his years. He’s dominant on the mound, but he also looks for ways to make everyone around him better.”

“I think something my dad has instilled in me since I was really little was, ‘If you want something, you gotta work for it. If you don’t, you don’t deserve the results,’” said Bolemon. “Grinding every day, putting my head down and putting in the work is something that I take pride in.”

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That competitiveness on the field was one of the first things that Carson’s dad, Britt, taught him. A former multisport standout during his youth who played college baseball, he coached both Carson and his older brother, Tyler, on the same T-ball team as youngsters. The boys competed in almost everything when they were younger, but eventually went on to serve as dominant batterymates during their time at Southside Christian.

Bolemon credits those experiences of learning the basics of the game at 4, 5 years old as formative in putting him on the path he currently travels. It’s taken him from pitching mounds in Mexico, to Japan and across the United States.

“It comes down to my love of the game,” said Bolemon. “I’d go out there and do it if nobody was watching. It’s what I love to do. At the end of the day, yeah, there’s pressure, but I just go out there and have fun.”