Mark Kingston confident in South Carolina's options at shortstop
South Carolina returns a ton of production back from last year’s offense while adding a few key pieces expected to be in the everyday order. But that doesn’t mean there isn’t a big hole to fill on the diamond.
The Gamecocks lose veteran Braylen Wimmer and will have to find a starting shortstop before Opening Day. And there are two guys–Will Tippett and Lee Ellis–battling it out right now.
“We have two guys I think are plenty talented enough to do that–especially defensively–in Tippett and Ellis. There are a couple other guys we can look at for depth behind them,” Mark Kingston said. “But we’re looking at those two guys fighting it out for innings at shortstop.”
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Wimmer was one of the more integral pieces for South Carolina’s Super Regional run last year, hitting .304 with a .970 OPS and 42 RBI while also playing really good defense.
But he’s now in the Rockies organization, leaving a gaping hole on the left side of the infield.
The two candidates are young and primarily known for their defense at the moment but Kingston feels very confident in those two guys settling at the position.
“I think they both need to continue to improve and get stronger and get more offensive. But defensively I feel like we’ll get the kind of defense we need out of shortstop,” Kingston said. “Both are extremely athletic. Both are 6.5 runners. Lee is extremely athletic, and really Tippett is too.”
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Tippett showcased his athleticism over 47 games last season in what was an up-and-down season at the plate. He slashed .182/.305/.291 with 19 walks to 47 strikeouts but did hit three homers and drove in 15 runs.
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Ellis was a top-100 prospect coming out with the 2023 class. Perfect Game ranked him as the No. 85 player in the class and a top 30 shortstop.
Both need to continue to make strides at the plate but South Carolina liked what they had at that position so much they ultimately didn’t add a shortstop through the transfer portal.
“I think we’ll get the kind of defense we want at shortstop from those guys,” Kingston said. “It’s a matter of how much they continue to improve offensively. But we’ll be in good shape there.”
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South Carolina begins fall scrimmages Thursday afternoon at 3:45 p.m. with another scrimmage scheduled for 3 p.m. Friday.
