Jake McCoy named to SEC Community Service Team for 2nd straight season

Jake McCoy hasn’t pitched at all for South Carolina this season while recovering from Tommy John surgery. But he’s still finding ways to make an impact off the field and in the community.

On Wednesday, McCoy was named to the SEC Baseball Community Service Team, the league office announced. It’s the second year in a row that he’s received this honor from the conference.

Per South Carolina’s press release, McCoy has “been involved in numerous community
service projects around the Midlands. He helped with the team when the
Screaming Eagles came to Founders Park to play a game in the fall. He
helped with the Build-a-Bike for a Child project this past Christmas.
McCoy was part of the MLK Day of Service, giving back by teaching
baseball to children in the community.”

Since the start of the 2025 season, McCoy has worked with Purple Heart Homes, a nonprofit that provides housing assistance to disabled and aging veterans, through his Strikeout for Veterans Campaign, where he donates $23 for every strikeout he records.

Of course, not being able to pitch this season changed those plans, but he has still made it a priority to give back, even while unable to take the mound.

“With my injury taking me out of the rotation, I’m pivoting, not pulling back,” McCoy announced on Feb. 12 before the start of the season. “I’m now committing $2.30 for every strikeout our entire South Carolina pitching staff records this season.”

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Without their strikeout leader from 2025 out there, the Gamecocks have combined to strike out 458 batters this season. With McCoy donating $2.30 per strikeout, that would equal $1,053.40 going directly toward Purple Heart Homes this year.

McCoy led the Gamecocks with 77 strikeouts last year, raising $1,771 through his personal pledge. With the help of additional donations, however, that total climbed to $17,738 in support of veterans’ housing.

Purple Heart Homes was co-founded in 2008 by Iraq War veterans Dale Beatty and John Gallina. Together, they had a shared mission: to honor and support veterans by ensuring they have safe, accessible housing. For McCoy, partnering with the organization has been especially meaningful as he works to bring greater awareness to the cause.

“One of the things they do is help acclimate people from being in service to coming home,” he told GamecockCentral last year. “A lot of people have PTSD, and some obviously, they’re wounded. So it’s hard for them to transfer back. They either get put in apartment buildings or government homes and stuff like that. That’s not what is right for them.

“They deserve to have their own space, their own home. … That’s such a huge thing for me. I think everybody deserves to have that, and it’s awesome for them to have that chance.”

Click here if you’d like to donate to Purple Heart Homes and Strikeouts for Veterans!

South Carolina will close out the regular season in a three-game series at Vanderbilt, starting Thursday night. First pitch will be at 7 p.m. on SEC Network+.

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