South Carolina baseball newcomers helping keep Gamecocks afloat heading into toughest portion of 2025 schedule

Despite the road being a little inconsistent in Paul Mainieri’s first month leading the program, South Carolina baseball holds a 17-5 overall record and a 1-2 mark in SEC play. The Gamecocks endured a sweep at the hands of the rival Clemson Tigers and a series loss last weekend to the Oklahoma Sooners. All things considered then, a 17-5 mark isn’t too bad. The road ahead is tough, but USC has kept itself afloat with all of its non-rivalry goals still possible.

As expected, star junior Ethan Petry has played a big role in the Gamecocks’ first month. So have several other returners like Kennedy Jones, Jake McCoy, Dylan Eskew, and Evan Stone. However, some players new to wearing garnet and black have made major contributions for South Carolina, too.

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Mainieri and his staff brought in a long list of transfer additions this offseason.

Portal and junior college transfer pitchers like Jarvis Evans, Jackson Soucie, Brandon Stone, and Brendan Sweeney have handled their business on the mound. Evans has been really good holding down the mid-week, so good that he might force his way into the weekend rotation if he continues dealing every time he toes the rubber. Soucie also has pitched in the mid-week and has logged some weekend relief appearances, too. Stone recently took over a weekend rotation spot and, aside from one inning against Oklahoma, has been great. Sweeney has done well as the team’s closer, though, some shaky defense behind him has skewed his numbers negatively.

South Carolina added some hitters, too. Lefty-swinging Jase Woita has three long balls despite being a part-time player. Shortstop Henry Kaczmar overcame some struggles to become a dependable option at the plate and in the middle of the defense. Dalton Mashore and Nolan Nawrocki don’t have great numbers, but they both have had some good moments. Even infielder Jordan Carrion–a player with the team but ineligible in 2024–has emerged as an important piece. The best of the portal hitters so far has been outfield Nathan Hall. He leads the Gamecocks in batting average (.398), walks (14), hits (33), doubles (7), and runs scored (19).

The freshmen also have made their collective presence felt.

Among position players, third baseman KJ Scobey has become a fan favorite, tying for second on the team in home runs (3), while playing really good defense at the hot corner. Beau Hollins has earned his way into the starting lineup at times thanks to what Mainieri called “elite” glovework at first base and a good enough bat-to-ball profile this year. Gavin Braland has been hurt and didn’t hit much but made one of the best catches of the year with a sliding catch into the dugout against The Citadel.

Freshman arms like Ryder Garino and Zach Russell have been among the top relievers for South Carolina. The duo has combined to surrender just four earned runs in 19.1 innings pitched. It’s no surprise then that they are two of just six relievers to get at least six opportunities this season. Garino owns a 17-3 K-BB ratio, and both Garino and Russell tie for the team lead in fewest hits allowed among players with at least six appearances.

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The Gamecocks will have to count on the newcomers continuing to play well because the upcoming schedule only gets tougher.

Up next, South Carolina plays seven consecutive games against teams in D1Baseball’s top 20. A road series against No. 3 Arkansas comes before the annual mid-week Battle of the Carolina against a No. 17 UNC team (in Charlotte) and a three-game set against No. 1 Tennessee.

Then, with an in-state mid-week contest between each series (against Presbyterian, USC-Upsate, and The Citadel), the Gamecocks must hit the road for back-to-back SEC trips against Mississippi State and Texas A&M. The return home isn’t easier, though, as USC must face No. 18 Ole Miss.

Of South Carolina’s 19 games over the next month, 10 are against currently ranked opponents. Three more are against a team previously ranked in the top 5. The others come on the road or against in-state foes who’d love to knock off their Palmetto State big brothers.

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That tough road begins this weekend against the Arkansas Razorbacks. Friday’s series opener will start at 7:30 p.m. Then, first pitch on Saturday is scheduled for 3:00 p.m. Sunday’s finale also begins at 3:00 p.m. None of the three games will be on traditional television, but all three will stream on SEC Network +.

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