Kip Bouknight is on our Mount Rushmore of best Gamecocks. See who else made it
Much like creating a Mount Rushmore for the South Carolina men’s basketball program, building one for the Gamecock baseball program was not an easy task.
It’s hard to pick just four Gamecocks from a program that has produced countless talented players. It’s even harder to find a balance between honoring the heroes of coach Ray Tanner’s national title-winning teams while also acknowledging the stars before those championships.
There are several combinations of players you could argue belong on the Mount Rushmore, and even more who were left out of our Top 15 (the likes of Derick Urquhart, Mac White, Randy Martz and Grayson Greiner, to name a few). And as one reader’s comment pointed out, everyone on the list is Mount Rushmore worthy.
Here’s who we decided makes the Mount Rushmore, along with picks from someone close to the program, a former player, the fans and even ChatGPT.
Landon Powell makes his picks
Powell has just as big of an argument as any player to be a member of USC baseball’s Mount Rushmore. He was an All-American catcher for the Gamecocks from 2001-04. Powell was inducted into the South Carolina Athletics Hall of Fame in 2014. He’s been the head baseball coach at North Greenville University since 2014 and won a national title there in 2022.
Here are the players on Powell’s peronal Mount Rushmore:
Kip Bouknight
Justin Smoak
Mac White
Michael Roth
And here are his thoughts: “(Bouknight was) captain my freshman year. Golden Spikes. Easy choice… Justin Smoak holds a bunch of hitting records including HRs and only played 3 years. He’s the reason I’m the 2nd best switch-hitter Tanner ever coached! Haha… Mac White is 1st in career hits and 2Bs. 2nd in RBIs, 4th in Runs. Tip of my cap to an older era of Gamecock baseball… Michael Roth had two of the better seasons in school history on the mound. Star on Natty teams. Also a good story… bench guy who became a star! He was a star in the classroom too!”
Picks from the voice of the Gamecocks
Derek Scott has been the radio play-by-play announcer for South Carolina men’s basketball and baseball since 2016. Scott has also done TV and radio for other Gamecock sports teams since 2007.
Here is who he put on his Mount Rushmore:
Kip Bouknight
Earl Bass
Justin Smoak
Christian Walker
And here are his thoughts: “This was excruciatingly difficult. I feel like I’m closer to having two quartets than narrowing it down to one… leaving Michael Roth, Drew Meyer, Hank Small and Matt Price off this list seems insane. How I wish Tommy Moody was here to have this debate with.”
How the fans voted
The State asked you, the fans, to help determine who should make the Mount Rushmore of South Carolina baseball.
Fans were given a poll with 15 players and could vote for up to four as many times as they wanted. Those players were: Kip Bouknight, Earl Bass, Jackie Bradley Jr, Mike Curry, David Marchbanks, Whit Merrifield, Drew Meyer, Yaron Peters, Landon Powell, Matt Price, Michael Roth, Hank Small, Justin Smoak, Christian Walker and Scott Wingo.
With just under 800 individual ballots cast, here’s what the fans said:
Michael Roth
Kip Bouknight
Earl Bass
Jackie Bradley Jr.
Roth received the most votes from fans, followed by Bouknight, Bass and Bradley Jr.
Smoak finished fifth, and Walker was sixth.
The State’s picks
Here are The State’s choices for the Mount Rushmore of South Carolina baseball:
Kip Bouknight
Earl Bass
Michael Roth
Justin Smoak
Bouknight was perhaps the easiest selection to make for South Carolina baseball’s Mount Rushmore. A multi-time All-American, he became the first Gamecock to win the Golden Spikes Award (something no one else has done in program history) and was also the first to be named SEC Player of the Year. He’s the winningest pitcher in program history and had his jersey retired in 2023, but even that is just the tip of the proverbial iceberg of his achievements during his time at South Carolina.
Bass was the program’s first great pitcher, and his success is only rivaled by Bouknight. He was the first player in program history to have his jersey retired and was a two-time All-American. He was inducted into the South Carolina Athletics Hall of Fame in 1989 and still holds the program records for shutouts (10), earned run average (1.34) and strikeouts (392).
And Roth is arguably the most impactful pitcher in the program’s history. The All-American pitcher played a pivotal role in delivering South Carolina back-to-back national title wins in 2010 and 2011. He posted a 26-6 record in his career with the Gamecocks and excelled in the playoffs, tallying an 8-0 record and 1.33 ERA in postseason play. He was named to the College World Series All-Tournament team twice.
Smoak is arguably the best hitter to ever put on a South Carolina uniform. He was a three-time All-SEC player and two-time All-American with the Gamecocks. Smoak started 195 straight games at first base for USC and holds school records for career home runs (62), runs batted in (207), bases on balls (151) and total bases (485). He was inducted into the South Carolina Athletics Hall of Fame in 2016.
Honorable mentions
Landon Powell
Jackie Bradley Jr.
Christian Walker
Powell was an All-American catcher who also earned All-SEC nods twice during his career as a Gamecock. He ranks in the top five of the program’s all-time record book in home runs (44), doubles (61), RBIs (193) and base hits (265). Powell also holds the school’s single-game, season and career record for putouts.
Bradley Jr. was a freshman All-American honoree and earned All-SEC Defensive Team nods twice during his three years as a Gamecock. Bradley in 20210 earned All-SEC Second Team honors and capped his season off by being named the College World Series’ Most Outstanding Player. He helped South Carolina earn back-to-back national titles in 2010 and 2011.
Walker was named to three straight College World Series All-Tournament teams from 2010-12. He was a multi-time All-American and All-SEC player during his time with South Carolina. Walker was a strong presence at the plate and his consistency helped pace the Gamecocks’ offense in the postseason. He recorded 28 hits across three seasons in Omaha, setting a CWS record. Walker was the team’s batting champ in 2011 and 2012.
Bonus picks from AI
The State asked ChatGPT for its own Mount Rushmore. Here’s what the AI tool came up with:
Jackie Bradley Jr
Michael Roth
Justin Smoak
Landon Powell
Honorable mentions: Whit Merrifield, Christian Walker, Brian Roberts, Matt Price, Drew Meyer, Jordan Montgomery
This story was originally published July 10, 2025 at 12:39 PM.
