South Carolina baseball preview
Here's a look at the South Carolina Gamecocks entering the 2021 baseball season.
2020 record / RPI: 12-4 (103)
2019 record / RPI: 28-28, 8-22 SEC (82)
Coach: Mark Kingston (350-238-1 overall, 77-58 at South Carolina)
Rank in preseason polls: 18 (D1, BA), 20 (Coaches), 21 (CB)
Rank in conference forecasts: TBD
Last NCAA Tournament appearance: 2018 (lost in Super Regional to Arkansas)
Home field: Founders Park (8,242)
Left: 325 feet, center: 390, right: 325
2020 recap / 2021 outlook
South Carolina was coming off a tough 2019 but showed signs of progress through 16 games with 12 wins. The Gamecocks had a few tough stretches, losing series to Northwestern and rival Clemson but saw emergences from weekend starters Thomas Farr and Brannon Jordan.
The Gamecocks got enough out of future first round pick Carmen Mlodzinski but both Farr and Jordan were elite with a 1.72 ERA in 36.2 innings combined with a 0.736 WHIP and 46 strikeouts.
Because of a shortened MLB Draft, South Carolina only lost one player on the team currently and one member of its 2021 signing class, which helps add to some of the buzz around this team heading into the preseason.
The Gamecocks bring in a consensus top 10 recruiting class with plenty of potentially impact freshmen. It’s a class deep enough to help bridge the gap between South Carolina and some of the best teams in the SEC and put it in a position to contend for a postseason berth this year.
Being able to hit consistently and building depth on the position side of things will be key questions entering the season but the pitching depth will be able to keep this year’s team in the majority of games.
| Pos | Player, Cl. (B/T) |
|---|---|
|
C |
Colin Burgess, Fr. (R/R) .308/.357/.423, 26 AB, 0 HR, 2 RBI Elite defensive catcher who gets on base and doesn’t strikeout much |
|
1B |
Wes Clarke, So. (R/R) .286/.406/.714, 56 AB, 8 HR, 22 RBI Power-hitting, middle of the order hitter who will factor in at first and catcher |
|
2B |
Jeff Heinrich, Jr. (R/R) .250/.306/.375, 56 AB, 1 HR, 14 RBI Contact-hitting middle infielder who came on strong late in 2020; plus-defender at 2B |
|
3B |
Brennan Milone, Fr. (R/R) .154/. 389/.462, 13 AB, 1 HR, 2 RBI Highly-rated prospect who dealt with injury in 2020; will be a big, middle-of-the-order bat |
|
SS |
George Callil, Sr. (R/R) .271/.446/.354, 48 AB, 1 HR 10 RBI Elite defender whose bat needs to progress |
|
LF |
Joe Satterfield, Grad (S/R) .291/.387/.422, 35 AB, 1 HR, 3 RBI (Elon) Switch-hitting, versatile player who will provide a veteran presence and may start at 1B |
|
CF |
Brandon Fields, Fr. (R/R) Top 100 prospect out of high school; has elite power and speed, needs to cut down Ks, improve defensively |
|
RF |
Brady Allen, So. (R/L) .327/.459/.571, 49 AB, 3 HR, 8 RBI Veteran presence in the lineup and has improved greatly from last season |
|
DH |
Andrew Eyster, Jr. (R/R) .305/.400/.593, 59 AB, 4 HR, 12 RBI Power-hitting, veteran bat; could start in left field |
|
Res |
Noah Myers, Jr. (L/R) .324/.510/.459, 37 AB, 0 HR, 6 RBI Great defender with plus speed that draws walks; could start in center |
|
Res |
David Mendham, Jr. (L/R) Versatile junior college infielder who gives lefty option off bench; could play 1B or C |
|
Res |
Michael Robinson, Jr. (R/R) JUCO SS who can hit for contact, will compete for innings this season |
The offense was inconsistent at times last season but the Gamecocks saw development from Wes Clarke, who was one of the best power hitters in the country through 16 games, and Brady Allen, who ended last year with a career high batting average. While Allen will be in the outfield, Clarke could split time at first base, catcher and designated hitter.
The biggest piece of the puzzle, third baseman Brennan Milone, didn’t play much last season dealing with a hip injury, but is a former top 100 prospect who turned down six figures to come to South Carolina and should be a power bat in the Gamecocks’ lineup this season.
Andrew Eyster had a fantastic fall in 2020, hitting for more power than ever in his career, and should be a factor whether that’s in the outfield or at designated hitter.
Colin Burgess at catcher seems to have taken a step forward and the Gamecocks will need him to with limited catcher depth on the team currently after top 200 freshman Alek Boychuk had a season-ending foot injury.
Replacing a high-upside player like Noah Campbell will be a challenge but the Gamecocks have a former junior college signee Jeff Heinrich and a transfer class including grad transfer utility player Joe Satterfield and catcher/first baseman David Mendham should be able to fill that void.
Satterfield could start in left field or at first base while Mendham will be a key reserve whose versatility will give the Gamecocks a left-handed option off the bench.
Centerfield is the biggest position battle right now between freshman phenom Brandon Fields, the highest-rated player to enroll at South Carolina in well over a decade, and incumbent Noah Myers. Fields had a great fall at the plate but still strikes out too much and is developing defensively. Myers might not be as big of an offensive weapon but is an elite defender.
| Role | Player, Cl. (B/T) |
|---|---|
|
SP1 |
Thomas Farr, Jr. (R/R) 3-0, 1.72 ERA, 15.2 IP, 14 K, 5 BB Hard-throwing JUCO righty who’s likely the Friday-night arm |
|
SP2 |
Brannon Jordan, Jr. (R/R) 2-0, 1.71 ERA, 21 IP, 32 K, 9 BB Another JUCO arm who shined in starting role; had a .104 batting average against |
|
SP3 |
Julian Bosnic, Fr. (L/L) 2-0, 0.00 ERA, 6.2 IP, 7 K, 8 BB Took a big jump entering 2021; hyper-competitive lefty that doesn’t allow many runs |
|
CL |
Brett Kerry, Jr. (R/R) 2-0 (1 SV), 3.60 ERA, 15 IP, 18 K, 3 BB Veteran arm who’s been a huge back-end piece |
|
Rel |
Mag Cotto, Fr. (L/L) Highly-rated freshman who was up to 96 MPH in the fall; could start or come out of the pen but will pitch big innings |
|
Rel |
Will Sanders, Fr. (R/R) Another top prospect with a four-to-five pitch mix who will compete to start |
|
Rel |
Cam Tringali, Jr. (R/R) 1-0, 3.38 ERA, 10.2 IP, 13 K, 2 BB Lanky righty had growing pains, but has explosive FB and good breaking ball and can eat innings. |
|
Rel |
Andrew Peters, Sr. (R/R) 0-0, 23.14 ERA, 2.1 IP, 4 K, 5 BB Struggled in first season after Tommy John surgery but had a good fall and will be another key arm as a midweek starter or bullpen piece |
|
Rel |
Daniel Lloyd, So. (R/R) 0-2, 6.00 ERA, 9 IP, 13 K, 5 BB Struggled some out of the pen in 2020 but will be a big arm as a set-up man |
This will be the strength of this year’s team after Thomas Farr and Brannon Jordan turned down good money to come back to South Carolina for at least one more year. Both will be in the weekend rotation with likely Julian Bosnic, who had arguably the best fall on the team, rounding out the weekend lineup.
Bosnic, who missed the 2018 season with Tommy John and threw 6.2 hitless innings out of the bullpen last year, was up to 96 miles per hour on his fastball side in the fall and looked every bit like a weekend arm. He’ll give the Gamecocks a very good left-handed arm and could start on Saturdays if South Carolina wants to go righty-lefty-righty.
All three projected weekend arms are considered top 250 prospects for this year’s draft and give the Gamecocks a good starting point in the pitching staff.
South Carolina’s recruiting class is very pitching heavy and there are a lot of young arms who will pitch big innings, headlined by Mag Cotto, Will Sanders, Jackson Phipps and JUCO pitcher CJ Weins.
Josiah Sightler is emerging as a viable lefty arm out of the bullpen along with John Gilreath. Andrew Peters, who was up to 96 miles per hour on his fastball, will be another valuable piece whose role is still getting figured out.
Brett Kerry is one of the most consistent and shutdown closers in the league and the Gamecocks have a few key pieces coming back in Cam Tringali, Danny Lloyd and Brett Thomas who will factor into the back of the bullpen and can get outs in high-leverage situations.
There’s plenty of talent and depth on this pitching staff that, once the young guys can gain valuable experience, has the potential to be one of the best in the conference this season.