South Carolina baseball bounces back with victory over Wofford
It is rare to monitor responses just five days into a four-month season, but it was fair to wonder how much life South Carolina would show on Tuesday during what turned out to be an 8-2 win against Wofford.
On Saturday, the Gamecocks (3-1) suffered their first loss of the season — a one-run defeat to Northern Kentucky — and their coach pinned it on his 20-something-year-old players being “tired” after playing a doubleheader. How could the Gamecocks be “lethargic” (as Mainieri called them) on the second day of the season?
“I was disappointed,” Mainieri said on Tuesday. “There was such a nice crowd at the game on Saturday and they were just waiting to have fun and explode, and we never gave them a reason to. ... We’ve gotta get some adrenaline and realize each day is a new day.”
Energy was not in question on Tuesday. Playing against a Terriers team that scored 35 runs in an opening-weekend sweep of Mercyhurst, the Gamecocks put together a solid effort to get a neutral-site victory.
This week, though, will be taxing. USC faces Gardner-Webb on Wednesday and hosts Army, Navy and Air Force over the weekend.
“I told them, ‘We’re gonna enjoy this drive home and then we’re gonna turn the page,’” Maineiri said after the win. “I’m not making excuses for them anymore. It’s not gonna be because they’re tired.”
South Carolina gets shutdown pitching
The first opposing batter South Carolina faced after its loss to Northern Kentucky — and after Mainieri’s comments — took Gamecocks starter Connor Chicoli deep for a solo home run.
Soon after, the Terriers boarded two more runners on infield singles. For a moment, knowing how bad South Carolina’s pitching was last year, it made you wonder if the Gamecocks had the depth in 2026 to avoid deja vu.
“It just takes a tremendous poise and composure by a young man to be able to overcome those kinds of things,” Mainieri said of Chicoli. “He rose above it all.”
And then, as if to perfectly show its response to opening weekend, the South Carolina pitching staff was magnificent. Chicoli, making his first start of the season, allowed just five hits and one earned run (the leadoff home run), while striking out four and allowing zero walks.
It was a promising start for the Georgia Tech transfer, who may soon be a candidate to start on the weekends.
“He did everything I thought he would do,” said catcher Talmadge Lecroy. “He commanded the zone very well.”
And even more reason for optimism around the Gamecocks’ arms came from the guys behind Chicoli. Elijah Foster (one inning pitched), Cooper Parks (one IP) and Logan Prisco (two IP) combined to allow just one hit and one earned run.
USC’s bats heat up late
Tuesday was by far the best offensive performance of South Carolina’s season — which isn’t saying much after the Gamecocks scored 13 total runs and hit just .163 (7 for 43) with runners on base against NKU.
While fans are still waiting for a real offensive explosion, Tuesday was promising.
“We worked so hard yesterday at practice at challenging hitters,” Mainieri said. “We put a lot of pressure on them and I thought they responded well in the drill yesterday. And, I tell you, we hit an awful lot of balls hard.”
For the first time this season, the Gamecocks scored runs before the fifth inning, and in doing so, proved they could hit with runners on base. In the third, Reese Moore hit a 2-out liner over the second baseman’s head, scoring a run. An inning later, a run came home because Jack Reynolds beat out a throw at first, a hustle play that looked even better when Tyler Bak hit an RBI-single into center right after.
Then in the ninth, with the Gamecocks barely out-hitting Wofford, the fireworks came. Lecroy destroyed a solo home run, and KJ Scobey — who smacked a walk-off home run on Friday — smoked a two-RBI dinger into the left-field berm.
There is still much to be desired from South Carolina’s offense, but Tuesday was a step in the right direction.
Up next
- Wednesday, Feb. 18: vs. Gardner-Webb, 4 p.m. (SEC Network Plus)
- Friday, Feb. 20: vs. Army, 2 p.m. (SEC Network Plus)
- Saturday, Feb. 21: vs. Navy, 1 p.m. (SEC Network Plus)
- Sunday, Feb. 22: vs. Air Force, 4 p.m. (SEC Network Plus)
This story was originally published February 17, 2026 at 8:41 PM.
