USC baseball’s fourth Wake Forest transfer commit has unique Gamecock connection
South Carolina baseball has landed its fourth commitment from a Wake Forest transfer.
Luke Costello announced his pledge to head coach Kevin Schnall and the Gamecocks on social media Saturday. Costello has played outfield and some infield in the last two seasons with the Demon Deacons.
Although Costello committed to South Carolina, there’s still a shot he’s taken in the 2026 MLB Draft in July. Costello is draft-eligible and listed was one of the Top 400 prospects by Perfect Game in April.
Costello is coming off an All-ACC Third-Team selection in 2026. He touted a .302 batting average and was second on the team with 17 home runs and a slugging percentage of .637. In 2025, Costello hit .290 and launched 10 homers as a freshman.
The rising junior made appearances in 94 games for the Demon Deacons in two seasons and has a career batting average of .297 and career OPS of 1.036. Costello brings with him a total of 93 hits, 90 RBIs and 83 runs in his career to Columbia.
Costello brothers teaming up again
Luke Costello’s commitment comes after his younger brother, Andrew Costello, committed to the Gamecocks on June 19.
Andrew Costello is the younger of the two brothers and played catcher for Wake Forest in 2026 after enrolling in December. Andrew Costello was ranked as the No. 1 catcher in the Class of 2027 before he decided to enroll early in college.
The younger Costello played in 39 games and tallied a .244 batting average. Andrew Costello also had four home runners and a .706 OPS.
The Costello brothers both played high school ball at Cathedral Prep in their hometown of Erie, Pennsylvania.
Bill Cilento connection strong
Schnall’s decision to hire long-time Wake Forest assistant Bill Cilento has already paid dividends for the Gamecocks.
Luke Costello is the fourth Demon Deacon to follow Cilento, who will be South Carolina’s hitting coach, to Columbia. Andrew Costello was the first Wake Forest player to announce he intends to transfer to USC and was followed by shortstop JD Stein on June 24. Former Wake pitcher Ryan Brennecke also announced his intentions to transfer to South Carolina on June 26.
Cilento’s impact has also already shown up on the high school recruiting trail.
Talented two-way prospect Brogan Witcher cited his relationship with Cilento as a major reason he visited, and eventually committed, to South Carolina. Witcher was the first high school player to commit to Schnall after he was hired. Witcher, who plays preps ball in California, is ranked No. 30 by Perfect Game in the class of 2027.
