Transfer portal watch: Who could follow Schnall from Coastal to South Carolina?
South Carolina is hiring Coastal Carolina’s Kevin Schnall as its next baseball coach, and he’s already set to bring one assistant with him (pitching coach Matt Williams).
A natural follow-up: Which players could follow Schnall from Conway to Columbia?
The NCAA baseball transfer portal opened June 1 and remains open until June 30. A number of Chanticleers had already entered the portal before news broke Tuesday that Schnall was taking the USC job. And the Gamecocks are going to need an influx of talent to replenish a roster that’s lost around 20 players.
Here’s a closer look at Coastal Carolina players who could follow Schnall to the Gamecocks.
Big names already in the portal (6)
Sophomore RHP Luke Jones
Jones entered the portal Monday. As a sophomore at Coastal, he developed into a reliable weekend starter and made 16 appearances (15 starts) for Schnall. Jones had a 4-2 record and 4.44 ERA across a team-high 79.0 innings. His 67 strikeouts were second most on the team.
The 5-11 righty also limited opponents to a .245 batting average. Jones has natural ties to the state of South Carolina, too, as he’s a Greenville native.
Junior LHP Hayden Johnson
An expected weekend starter and preseason All-Sun Belt pick, Johnson missed the entire 2026 season with an elbow injury. As a sophomore, he had an impressive 2.28 ERA and 55 strikeouts in 24 appearances for Coastal’s 2025 CWS runner-up team.
Johnson is a Myrtle Beach native and entered the portal with a do-not-contact tag Tuesday, which generally indicates a player has a specific destination in mind.
Junior INF Trace Mazon
Baseball America highlighted Mazon who announced he was transferring June 3, as one of its “key entrants” into the portal nationally.
Mazon appeared in 36 games for Coastal in 2026, starting 31. He missed over a month after a hand injury in March but finished the season batting .359 with 47 hits, nine doubles, two triples, four home runs, and 31 RBIs. He led CCU in batting average but didn’t play in enough games to qualify as its season leader.
Junior INF Walker Mitchell
The River Bluff High alum and Lexington native started every game for Coastal this season. He had .313 batting average with 68 hits, 45 runs scored, team-high 17 doubles, one home run and 54 RBIs.
Walker Mitchell is the son of late South Carolina quarterback Allen Mitchell, USC’s starting QB for the majority of its 1984 “Black Magic” season when the team finished 10-2. He entered the portal with a do-not-contact tag Tuesday.
Redshirt INF/OF Colby Thorndyke
Thorndyke entered the portal June 2. He appeared in 58 games, starting 51, and batted .233 with 40 hits, eight doubles, three home runs, and 19 RBIs in 2026.
During his two seasons at Coastal, he played first base and outfield. Thorndyke was also a starter for Coastal Carolina’s 2025 CWS runner-up team that lost to LSU and was named the most outstanding player of the 2025 Conway Regional.
Freshman LHP Case Bosch
Bosch, who entered the portal June 2, was a 2026 All-Sun Belt Conference Freshman Team pick after posting a 3-0 record and a 3.89 ERA. Bosch, a 6-foot-5 lefty, made 20 appearances for Coastal and recorded 35 strikeouts across 37.0 innings.
Other names in the portal (7)
Junior C Brice Estep
Appeared in 43 games and started 33 at catcher, batting .232 with eight home runs and 25 RBI. Threw out 15 baserunners stealing, fourth most in the Sun Belt Conference. Fielded .994.
Sophomore C Domenico Tozzi
Played in 34 games and started 27 at catcher. Batted .200 with 17 hits, four home runs and 13 RBIs. Recorded an error-free season at catcher and threw out 10 baserunners attempting to steal.
Freshman RHP Daniel Parker
Appeared in 19 games (two starts) and had a 3-0 record and a 4.76 ERA. Native of Hartsville, South Carolina. Entered the portal with a do-not-contact tag.
Freshman LHP Colby Richardson
Had a 4-1 record and a 5.10 ERA in 27 bullpen appearances. Native of Mullins, South Carolina who entered the portal with a do-not-contact tag.
Freshman LHP/1B Jackson Winer
Batted .241 with 17 hits, six doubles, four home runs, and 19 RBIs in 27 games (18 starts). Charleston native who entered portal with a do-not-contact tag.
Sophomore RHP Jaxon Appelman
Made 17 appearances, including four starts. Had an 0-3 record with a 6.39 ERA over 38.0 innings. Ranked fourth on the team in strikeouts (39).
Junior OF Blagen Pado
Appeared in 55 games and made 42 starts in the outfield. Batted .188 with 26 hits, 21 RBIs and seven home runs. Led the team with 15 stolen bases. Fielded 1.000.
Not in the portal yet, but worth monitoring (2)
Sophomore OF Rex Watson
2026 All-Sun Belt Second Team selection who started 55 of 58 games. Led the team in home runs (12), RBIs (64) and total bases (116) while batting .290. Had 17 multi-hit games and 17 multi-RBI games.
Freshman RHP Jackson Smallets
Made 14 appearances (10 starts) and was one of two Coastal pitchers picked for the league’s all-freshman team (Bosch). Recorded a 4.54 ERA and 26 strikeouts while starting the third most games of any Chanticleers pitcher.
This story was originally published June 9, 2026 at 12:30 PM.
