You know about Shohei Ohtani, the superstar pitcher-hitter hybrid from Japan who routinely does things not seen in baseball since up to or over a century ago.

Meet the Coastal Athletic Association’s version.

Cole Mathis isn’t just the best returning hitter for College of Charleston entering the season. He's probably the best pitcher, too. And while two-way standouts aren’t as much of a rarity in college baseball as they are at the professional level, few can say they do both at such a high level effectively.

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That makes him one of the most entertaining and versatile players in college baseball this year, and with another strong season, he’ll likely be one of the top prospects for a team in this year’s class—no matter where he ends up playing on the field at the pro level.

Here are five things to know about Cole Mathis.

Cole Mathis Is A Two-Way Star

If you follow college baseball regularly, you’ve probably heard of Jac Caglianone, the University of Florida superstar and one of the top MLB Draft prospects in this year’s class. He has been nicknamed “Jactani” for his two-way prowess, evoking similarities to the best player in baseball right now. 

Now, meet the CAA version of him, also surging up draft boards, with the best of CofC’s two-way stud likely still to come ahead of his junior season in 2024. 

Mathis got a lot of use on the mound and in the batter’s box for the Cougars last season—he went 5-1 across 10 starts in the circle, striking out 52 in 60 innings pitched, and was one of the CAA’s top hitters with a .330 average, nine home runs, 20 doubles and 51 RBIs. 

Those numbers were good enough to see Mathis named an NCBWA second-team All-American and a second-team All-CAA selection, with his breakout season in 2023 showcasing his potential in both facets of his game. 

Mathis' Pitches Can Pack Some Heat

With his pitches being clocked as high as 96 mph, Mathis utilizes a fastball-heavy setup to his advantage when he’s on pitching duty, and it has served him well with over triple the amount of strikeouts (91) to walks (30) in his college career. 

That control, among other features of his pitching setup, has some teams around the No. 92 pick thinking he may be best suited for a career throwing balls, rather than hitting them. 

If he grows even further on the back of his team-leading 3.45 ERA and 1.28 WHIP at Charleston in 2023, maybe the organizations thinking that way about Mathis are making the right call. 

Off-speed work is something Mathis can handle, as well, with a strong curveball many scouts consider to be his best pitch, and his total arsenal is a strike-heavy setup that can punch hitters out and send them trotting back to the dugout.

Mathis' Dad Spent Some Time In The Minor Leagues

There’s a bit of pro baseball lineage in the Mathis family, and if Cole eventually goes to the minors as a pitcher, his dad, Sammie, could provide some helpful tips about how to make it through the grind of being a professional player. 

Sammie Mathis was drafted three times in his baseball career (once out of high school, twice out of Division II Southern Arkansas) and signed with the Cleveland Indians (now Guardians) organization after being picked by them in the 47th round in 1995. 

A right-handed relief pitcher, Sammie spent two years with Cleveland’s farm system, reaching as high as Single-A, before ending his pro career after a year of bouncing around a couple of teams in the independent leagues in 1997. 

Cole hasn’t indicated outright whether he’ll hit, pitch, or try and do both at the professional level, but his dad does have a favorite part of his game—the one he used to excel at himself. 

Cole noted to The Post and Courier (Charleston, South Carolina) newspaper last year that “I love to do both, but my dad loves to watch me pitch.”

Don’t Sleep on Cole Mathis@CarlosACollazo and @PeterGFlaherty talk about a few prospects to know from non-Power 5 conference schools.

One name that makes both lists? @CofCBaseball first baseman Cole Mathishttps://t.co/6B5mjwSqNp

— Baseball America (@BaseballAmerica) January 14, 2024

Mathis Turned Heads In The Cape Cod League

Burdened in some scouts’ eyes by the fact that he plays college ball in a mid-major league with a strength of schedule that can’t compare to teams in the top conferences in the country, Mathis got a major opportunity to show he can produce against the best of the best in the Cape Cod League, widely considered to be the best collegiate summer baseball league in the country, last year. 

Playing against some of the best prospects in college baseball as a member of the Cotuit Kettleers, Mathis was one of the Cape Cod League’s best power hitters, finishing second in the 2023 season in home runs (11) and RBIs (42), in a monster summer at the plate that came despite only playing 38 games on the cape. 

Oh, and he pitched in nine games, striking out 23 batters in 20 1/3 innings pitched. He also picked up a win and two saves in the process. That’s not a bad way to spend your summer, and in Mathis’ case, he may have played his way into a more lucrative signing bonus while he was at it.

Mathis Could Be The Highest-Picked Charleston Player In Program History

CofC, especially for a mid-major squad, has a solid history of building up college prospects for productive pro careers, with World Series champion Heath Hembree and Minnesota Twins starter Bailey Ober being some of the more notable names to come through the Cougars’ baseball program. 

But ex-All-Star, Gold Glove winner and World Series champ Brett Gardner—an outfielder who played all 14 of his major-league seasons with the New York Yankees—is the crown jewel of ex-Charleston baseball players producing in the pros and the standard for what a former Cougar can accomplish. 

Gardner’s selection by the Yankees in the third round of the 2005 draft is the benchmark for where a CofC player can go on draft night, as well. 

Technically speaking, pitcher Taylor Clarke is the highest-drafted Cougar in history (third round, 76th overall in 2015), but with MLB.com calling Mathis the best position prospect the program has produced since Gardner, the apparent ceiling set for Mathis in the draft looks, at the moment, to level to those two names. 

With plenty of time still left to grow in the 2024 season, Mathis could just end up surpassing them outright to be the highest-drafted Cougar of all-time.

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