South Carolina baseball’s offseason to-do list
South Carolina is coming off a quality 2023 season that saw the program earn its first top 16 seed since 2016 and first Super Regional berth since 2018.
But that doesn’t mean the program isn’t in flux and the Gamecocks don’t have pressing needs on the docket this summer.
As the offseason churns, here are a few things South Carolina has to handle before the semester starts in August.
Retain pitching talent, restock the bullpen
The Gamecocks have a ton of production likely leaving the program on the mound with Jack Mahoney, Will Sanders, Noah Hall and James Hicks all highly regarded when it comes to the draft.
Eli Jerzembeck is also hurt while Cade Austin, Chris Veach are draft eligible. So this pitching staff could look a lot different under newly-hired Matt Williams.
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There’s a good core of players like Eli Jones, Matthew Becker and Roman Kimball but the Gamecocks are going to need to attack the portal heavily to add pieces to the staff.
Retaining Jones and Becker–who haven’t used their one-time transfer portal–is key along with potentially keeping guys like Austin and Veach in the program for at least another year.
Regardless of who sticks around, South Carolina is going to need to really hit the portal hard to revamp this pitching staff losing a ton of innings next season.
Bolster the top, deepen the lineup
It’s no secret the Gamecocks took a leap forward offensively, getting production top to bottom when healthy this year. But when injuries took their toll and the lineup thinned, the offense struggled.
South Carolina sputtered down the stretch offensively and will need to continue to reshape things offensively to continue to inch closer to a consistently elite offense in 2024.
That starts in the locker room now while trying to continue bringing guys like Cole Messina, Talmadge LeCroy, Ethan Petry, Gavin Casas, Carson Hornung and others. But it also means attacking the portal to bring in offensive pieces.
The Gamecocks are losing the team’s most consistent leadoff hitter in Will McGillis and maybe the most integral piece in Braylen Wimmer who anchored the No. 2 spot when healthy.
South Carolina needs to find a new leadoff hitter and another table-setter for what should be one of the more dangerous middles of the order in the SEC.
The staff has done that so far bringing in North Florida’s Austin Brinling, Blake Jackson and others while setting sights high with Colby Shelton, Kennedy Jones and Billy Amick.
Building a high-level offense that’s deep and can continue to build on a good 2023 is imperative.
Figure out a plan at shortstop, other key defensive spots
The Gamecocks flashed at times–the regional game against NC State being one–but they weren’t an elite defensive team for most of the season. And they’ll lose a vital member of that defense in Wimmer at short.
The team’s backup shortstop–Michael Braswell–also entered the transfer portal. That leaves Will Tippett as the only real option there on the roster currently. The Gamecocks need to find an option there, with Tippett certainly capable defensively.
That could come in the 2023 high school class or out of the transfer portal. But there needs to be a clear picture as the team reconvenes in August.
Centerfield was a question mark last year, at least offensively. And the Gamecocks need someone to step up there, too with guys like Brinling and Evan Stone key candidates there.
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Settle the coaching staff
The Gamecocks already have one assistant on the move with Justin Parker departing for Mississippi State and Williams coming over from Liberty.
But Monte Lee’s been approached with head coaching opportunities and Mark Kingston’s contract is getting closer to its end. It seems likely that both assistants that were here in 2023 would be due for extensions and pay raises to some extent.
How long the extension is and how hefty the raise would be are the biggest questions. But that’s a pressing thing for South Carolina in getting those contract situations settled.
Parker was making just over $200,000 last season at South Carolina and Mark Kingston ranked No. 12 in the SEC in annual salary last season. Lee made $240,000 last season, in the top half of the league’s recruiting coordinators.
Making sure the staff is compensated and gets extended is a key component to this offseason. Then figuring out the plan for the third paid assistant which goes into effect July 1.
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