Why South Carolina had a 'home feel' for latest 2026 baseball commit Keenan Dolan

Being from Reno, Nevada, Keenan Dolan didn’t have much of a clue about South Carolina. When the 2026 prospect began to plan out his visits, he had west coast schools like Washington and UCLA on his short list. LSU was the further school he was visiting.

Then came along South Carolina. Dolan described the Gamecocks as the “dark horse” in the battle to earn his commitment. But after his first conversation, he knew he’d be willing to look past being so far from home.

“We took a Zoom with the coaching staff before I decided they come on the visit,” Dolan told GamecockCentral. “Just number one, just a feel for the coaching staff and the conversation. I knew they were going to develop me as a player and as a person, and I liked that. So, I was like, okay, I’m going to choose them as one of the schools that I’m going to go on my visit.”

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Soon after, he took his first visit to South Carolina, just in time to watch the Gamecocks take down No. 10 Texas A&M in football back in November. Seeing that and spending time with the coaching staff and players were all good fun, but there was something else that truly sold him on potentially committing.

“Columbia, it’s kind of the little city where, like, everybody’s kind of a family. Everybody knows everybody, and they’re all kind of ingrained on sports,” Dolan said. “It reminds me a lot of here in Reno, except the fans aren’t as in the sports, but it’s the same family vibe. So, it gave me a lot of home feel, even though it is on the complete other side of the country.”

A little over two months later, Dolan returned for another visit to Columbia, accompanied by his father and brother. Only this time, he wasn’t here to make another pit stop in his recruiting visits. He already knew this was where his new home would be. Dolan officially committed to the Gamecocks on Jan. 14, becoming the latest player to join a built-up class of 2026.

“I really think it’s just gonna be electric. You’re gonna want to see the talent on the field. And I’ve talked to the other guys a little bit. I was doing my research and I was going out seeing who they had committed and just watching them play, it’s good stuff,” he said on what the future of the baseball program could look like.

“The talent will play. And I think the fans will be really entertained. They’ll see really good baseball. Electric baseball. It’s gonna be a great year. It’s gonna be really hard to beat us.”

[Win tickets: South Carolina-Auburn WBB]

Dolan, who plays at Bishop Manogue High School (NV), is one of the more interesting prospects in next year’s recruiting class for the Gamecocks. As of right now, the group is mainly comprised of pitchers and shortstops. But what makes Dolan unique is that he brings a little bit of everything to the table as a two-way player.

In his conversations with Paul Mainieri and the rest of the coaching staff, it seems he will fit better as a pitcher when he eventually arrives on campus. However, the possibility of taking some at-bats isn’t out of the question just yet.

“I think my arm is kind of my biggest tool. So that stands out. So, I think that got me the original attention,” he said. “But the coaches, they did their due diligence. They went into me, they broke down my swing, and they kind of showed me where I was and where I needed to be. They think, where my ceiling is, I can do it at a high level, so they’re going to give me a really good opportunity. And that was one of the reasons I ended up committing — not the whole reason, but a big part of it.”

Standing at 6-foot-5, 200 pounds, the right-hander has a four-pitch mix, including a fastball that ran up to as high as 93 miles per hour this past summer. He also throws a two-seam fastball, changeup and slider.

“I think my changeup, besides my fastball, is my best pitch. I’m a pronator. I feel like I got really natural great movement and depth to my changeup, and I think that’s going to play really well at the next level when you see players who can hit the 95 mile per hour fastball,” Dolan said.

“My slider is low 80s. It’s a pretty traditional slider — hard, trying to spin it, throw it like my fastball, and just let the kind of laces do the work. I have progressed a lot with my slider, too. And I think just overall maturing, I’ve gotten more consistent and better with my pitches.”

[Win tickets: South Carolina-Texas A&M MBB]

As a position player, Dolan considers himself to be more of a utility man, meaning he can play different positions, mainly first and third base and the corner outfield spots. It’s not super common to see many two-way players, especially the higher the level in baseball.

While it would be a challenge to do it in college, Dolan is open to giving it a shot. If there comes a point where the game tells him to focus on one role, he’ll do it. For now, he sees the potential in making it work.

“As a bat, I think I’m pretty good at making contact for my size. I don’t try to muscle the ball out. I’m letting my natural size and strength do the work,” Dolan said. “I also have kind of the dare you mentality. When I’m stepping in the box, it’s, I dare you to throw me a fastball. It’s kind of that mentality. Just trying to battle for the team. I definitely need to be stronger as a hitter. There’s a lot of improvements, but I like where I’m at right now.”

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