Productive Purdue transfer Logan Sutter breaks down decision to join USC baseball

South Carolina baseball coach Paul Mainieri has plenty to address with his team this offseason after one of the worst seasons in program history. Mainieri vowed to fix the problems through recruiting, primarily out of the NCAA transfer portal and junior colleges.

He and recruiting coordinator Terry Rooney have done just that. The Gamecocks have 16 commitments from those two talent streams, with more likely to come.

One of the major pickups was infielder Logan Sutter from Purdue. The California product was one of the best hitters in the Big 10 the last two seasons with a .349 batting average along with 23 home runs and 99 RBIs.

Rooney had recruited Sutter to Purdue before leaving for LSU in 2024. Once Sutter entered the portal, Rooney made contact. And after also talking with Mainieri, Sutter knew he had found his spot.

“Obviously, Coach Mainieri is a big-time name. Playing for someone like that is going to be really exciting in the SEC,” Sutter said. “I just liked the way he talks about the program and what they are trying to do. They want to rebuild the program and make it what it used to be.”

Sutter played first base at Purdue, but that spot is taken by Beau Hollins at USC. He played mostly at third base in junior college, and can also play second.

“I’m a hitter, an offensive guy, so kind of just finding a spot,” Sutter said. “They talked about some third base, some second base for me, but just kind of finding a spot that fits into the lineup well. Whatever I can do to help us win. I definitely wouldn’t say I’m strictly a power hitter. I hit a lot of doubles and have a high average.”

Sutter excelled for two seasons against Big Ten pitching, but he understands he’s stepping up in class in the SEC in terms of the kind of arms he’ll see every weekend.

“The SEC is a different animal,” Sutter said. “That’s one of the main reasons I went into the portal, to get out of the Big Ten, kind of find somewhere in the SEC, like South Carolina. I’m excited to play with and against all the competition in the SEC.”

Sutter won’t arrive in Columbia until late August. Until then, he’s playing summer ball in California to stay sharp for fall practice with the Gamecocks.

“I’m trying to keep my swing the same, not really change too much there,” Sutter said. “Just get back to playing third and second base. Obviously, I played the whole season at first, so getting back to playing those spots and getting comfortable again there.”