How will transfers impact South Carolina baseball? An overview of USC’s additions
The South Carolina baseball coaching staff has hit the recruiting trail hard ever since the Gamecocks’ season ended in the Gainesville Super Regional last month.
With the portal opening in June, the transfer market has been hot all summer, and USC has already made nine additions.
As of now sophomore infielder Michael Braswell is the only key player to transfer from the Gamecocks, landing with Jay Johnson’s LSU Tigers, who just won the 2023 College World Series title. Still, USC projects to lose a handful of players to the MLB Draft.
Here’s a look at how USC’s incoming transfers could help make up for those losses.
USC’s pitching transfers
The mound is where USC will need the most help next season. The team’s entire weekend rotation — Will Sanders, Noah Hall and Jack Mahoney — projects to move on to pro ball, leaving right-hander Eli Jones and left-hander Matthew Becker as the two Gamecocks pitchers with the most starts this past season.
USC has added three pitchers through the portal, two with significant starting experience.
Rock Hill native Ty Good is the most decorated of the three, committing to USC after winning Colonial Athletic Association pitcher of the year during his senior season at the College of Charleston. A 6-foot-2, 190-pound right-hander, Good ended his Cougars career ranked second all-time in wins (25), third in strikeouts (274) and sixth in strikeouts per nine inning (10). He went 7-4 with a 4.26 ERA last season and finished first in the CAA for the second straight season in strikeouts (93). Given his experience, Good figures to compete for a starting role.
Originally from Hartsville, Liberty left-hander Garrett Gainey will return to his home state and play for the Gamecocks. Gainey is on his third school after opening his college career at Winthrop, and he’s coming off a rough season for the Flames in which he posted a 7.28 ERA in 47 innings and nine starts. However, the 6-foot-1, 200-pound left-hander will be reunited with his former Liberty pitching coach Matt Williams, who joined USC’s staff after Justin Parker took the pitching coach job at Mississippi State.
Lastly, the Gamecocks added a power arm in the form of Virginia Tech right-hander Tyler Dean. The 6-foot-3, 195-pound rising junior has struggled with command throughout his time with the Hokies, walking 23 batters in just 16 innings of relief. Dean matched the walks with 22 strikeouts, and he can touch the mid-90s with his fastball, making him an intriguing project pitcher for Williams to try to unlock next season.
USC’s position player transfers
Kingston and his staff made shrewd hitting additions through the portal last offseason, adding much more punch to the lineup. The Gamecocks should maintain much of their 2023 offensive core, led by Ethan Petry and Cole Messina, but they’ll lose shortstop Braylen Wimmer and second baseman Will McGillis and could potentially lose first baseman Gavin Casas through the draft.
Much like last year, USC has added a slew of hitters to its roster who should provide depth and compete for starting roles.
The most accomplished — and most recent addition — is graduate transfer first baseman Parker Noland from Vanderbilt. He is the third former Vandy player to transfer to the Gamecocks in the past few years, joining Matt Hogan and Casas. Noland hit .277 with nine homers and 39 RBI this season in 61 games played.
The Gamecocks also added a handful of intriguing mid-major starters who starred at their former schools and now will have the chance to show if they can hit against higher-quality SEC pitching. Three players in particular — UNC Greensboro’s Kennedy Jones, North Florida’s Austin Brinling and VMI’s Zac Morris — could compete for prominent roles given their starting experience.
Primarily a left fielder for UNCG, Jones has some positional versatility to his game, but his greatest asset is his bat. Through two seasons with the Spartans, Jones is slashing .361/.433/.593 with 25 home runs and 117 RBI and has been a stalwart at the top of the league since he stepped into the Southern Conference, a league that typically skews offensive.
A fellow SoCon star, middle infielder Morris, could help make up for the losses of Wimmer, Braswell and McGillis with starting experience at both second base and shortstop. He was a second-team All-SoCon honoree in 2023 with a .317 average and 10 home runs.
An everyday starter in center field for North Florida, Brinling could compete for the role at USC with light-hitting returners Evan Stone and Will Tippett. Though not a power threat at the plate, the 5-foot-7 Brinling has appeared on SportsCenter’s Top 10 plays for his defense and is a threat on the basepaths. He’s also coming off one of the best offensive seasons in UNF history, finishing the year with a .386/.500/.540 slash line in 52 starts.
South Carolina baseball transfers
- Austin Brinling, OF, North Florida
- Tyler Dean, P, Virginia Tech
- Garrett Gainey, P, Liberty
- Ty Good, P,College of Charleston
- Blake Jackson, OF, Charlotte
- Kennedy Jones, OF/INF, UNC Greensboro
- Zac Morris, INF, VMI
- Parker Noland, 1B, Vanderbilt
- Dalton Reeves, C Presbyterian
This story was originally published July 5, 2023 at 3:03 PM.
