Coveted in-state pitcher picks USC Gamecocks out of transfer portal
South Carolina baseball has landed a prominent in-state transfer.
Former USC Upstate pitcher Amp Phillips has committed to the Gamecocks and coach Paul Mainieri, he announced via social media on Wednesday.
“On to the next… Go Cocks!” Phillips wrote in a post on X.
Phillips, a 6-foot-1 righty from Lancaster, starred for USC Upstate this season as a redshirt sophomore. The Big South Newcomer of the Year was 7-2 with a 3.64 ERA and threw 81 strikeouts against 29 walks in 20 appearances (12 starts).
Phillips also threw a complete game shutout and held opponents to a .212 average.
He picked up further national buzz after a big performance against No. 11 national seed Clemson in the NCAA regionals. Phillips struck out nine Tigers and finished with a stellar line of 97 pitches, three earned runs and a 3.64 ERA in six innings.
Phillips, who previously played at Spartanburg Methodist, helped USC Upstate (36-25) make its first NCAA regionals appearance in 2025.
Now, he’s joining Clemson’s biggest rival as part of a revamped USC roster that’ll try to turn things around after one of the Gamecocks’ worst seasons ever.
USC baseball 2025 transfer portal tracker
Committed to South Carolina (4)
- Louisiana-Monroe pitcher Josh Gregoire
- Purdue first baseman Logan Sutter
- Samford infielder Cullen Horowicz
- USC-Upstate pitcher Amp Phillips
Transferring out of South Carolina (14)
- Sophomore catcher Ryan Bakes
- Junior infielder Cayden Gaskin
- Freshman outfielder Tyler June
- Junior pitcher Wyatt Evans
- Redshirt junior pitcher Roman Kimball
- Junior infielder Will Tippett
- Junior infielder/outfielder Jase Woita
- Sophomore pitcher Eddie Copper
- Sophomore pitcher Tyler Pitzer
- Sophomore infielder Nolan Nawrocki
- Junior catcher Max Kaufer
- Redshirt sophomore pitcher Eli Jerzembeck
- Senior pitcher Brandon Sweeney
- Freshman pitcher Ryder Garino
This story was originally published June 4, 2025 at 12:45 PM.
